Prisoner
by Dorrica
Summary: /HIATUS/ Four years of Mojo's life are wasted away in prison for a crime he didn't commit, and Blossom feels partly responsible. She believes there may be a way to make it up to him, and it could very well change everything. /MojoxBlossom/
1. Guilt

**Title:** Prisoner  
**Author:** Dorri  
**Summary:** Four years of Mojo's life are wasted away in prison for a crime he didn't commit, and Blossom feels partly responsible. She believes there may be a way to make it up to him, and it could very well change everything.  
**Pairing:** Mojo/Blossom  
**Rating:** T (for violence)  
**Disclaimer:** The Powerpuff Girls are owned by Cartoon Network and were created by Craig McCracken.

* * *

_Chapter I_  
**Guilt**

"In light of more recent evidence regarding the murder of Carl McClorall and its relation to the Greene family murder, it is evident that the court…and myself have made a mistake. It is only sensible that I drop all charges…"

Though the judge spoke on, Mojo Jojo heard not a word of it as he leaned back into his seat, breathing a sigh of relief. Four years in prison he spent for a crime he did not commit, and it would have been the rest of his life if the case had not been reopened. Sure, the evidence would convince anyone that he had done it. It was his weapons after all that were found at the crime scene, but no one had ever stopped to think that he could have been framed. No, they wanted to believe it was he who had done it. Bastards.

Blossom had taken a special interest in making sure Mojo had been put away. Hell, she had been the one who told the police that the empty acid barrel belonged to him. He remembered how she had broken into his observatory in the middle of the night, dragged him out of bed and beat him to an inch of his life. If the police hadn't shown up he probably _would _be dead right now.

"_How could you do something so vile? HOW? How could you sink so low to murder a family?"_

Her tone had been so harsh, so disgusted. When details of the family's murder had been revealed during court, Mojo had surprisingly become disgusted himself. The murderer had tied up his victims, and basically tortured them. Their bodies had been found in an old, rundown warehouse, and the children had been placed across from the parents, showing that the murderer obviously wanted the parents to watch him kill the kids first before next killing them. The killer had burned the children to death with a barrel of acid, and then next used one of Mojo's more deadly, high-tech laser guns to kill the parents. Mojo had not even noticed that any of his weapons were missing since he had such a vast amount, but when the empty barrel and laser gun had been discovered at the crime scene, all fingers pointed at him. With no convincing alibi, and a history of criminal offenses, Mojo was in prison before he could blink. Oh how he had wished that he had installed that new alarm system and cameras that he had created. It figured that someone would break into his observatory before he had a chance to properly install them.

"You are free to go, Mr. Jojo, with the court's sincerest apologies."

Mojo narrowed his eyes as he got to his feet. "Yeah, right," he muttered under his breath. He turned to his attorney, who looked very happy that this had finally been resolved. "See? I told you the system would come through," she said as she placed a hand on Mojo's shoulder.

_Oh please, you probably thought I was guilty, too. The only reason why you agreed to represent me was so that you could make your pay, _Mojo thought bitterly.

"What do you mean? The only reason why the system came through was because the real criminal was stupid enough to kill again. The system would have never come through otherwise. You and I both know they would not have reopened the case."

The woman's face fell suddenly. Inwardly, she agreed, but did not speak it. Sighing, she gathered her papers together and stacked them neatly into her briefcase. Before exiting the courtroom she turned back to Mojo and offered her hand in parting. Mojo accepted it, figuring he still owed the woman that much. As she turned to leave, Mojo averted his gaze to the people exiting the courtroom. He suddenly became angry as he watched them file out. No one congratulated him, no one who had jeered and insulted him when he had first been accused came over to apologize to him. They were probably disappointed.

Just as Mojo started to make his leave, his eyes locked with Blossom's for a moment. Her look was that of pure regret and sorrow. He could practically see her apology resting within the trench of her lips, but unfortunately, he had always been one to hold a grudge. Sneering, he whipped his head back to the front, and continued on, walking with angry strides out of the courtroom.

Stepping out into the sunlight, Mojo took in a breath of fresh air. Yes, it felt good to be free. He _deserved _to be free, but he hardly felt as though justice had been served. If it had been, then he wouldn't have been put in prison in the first place.

"Mojo, wait!"

Oh, what now?

Mojo was about halfway down the concrete stairs before he turned to face whoever had called out to him, though he knew right away that it was Blossom. He scowled as he saw her flying towards him.

"Get away from me," he said before he started descending the stairs again. Blossom quickly floated in front of him and touched down, blocking his path.

"Please, just listen to me. I'm really sorry. I'm sorry we didn't look more thoroughly into the case. It's just…all evidence pointed to you."

"Yeah, uh-huh. And what exactly is the evidence that you speak of? The fact that it was my weapons that were used? Yes? It did not once occur to you that someone could have stolen that laser from me? Or that barrel of acid? And if I were to ever commit such a heinous crime, do you really think I would be foolish enough to leave the weapons at the scene of the crime?"

"But…the glove residue found on everything was from the same material that your gloves are made of. You can't blame us for thinking it was you."

"SO WHAT?" Mojo screamed, catching the attention of a few people who were passing by on the sidewalk. "Anyone can buy gloves! A lot of gloves are made from the same material! He obviously used gloves so there would be no prints! And of course he used the same gloves I have! He wanted the blame to be thrown at a criminal mastermind! You _wanted_ to believe it was me! You knew someone else could have easily set me up! BUT YOU WANTED ME TO BE PUT AWAY FOREVER!"

Mojo's harsh tone caused Blossom to visibly flinch as though he had struck her across the face and she almost wished he _had_. She could not begin to imagine the pain and anger he was feeling right now. Four years of his life were gone, and there was no way of getting them back.

"I…I don't know what else to say," Blossom whispered, her eyes cast downward.

"There is nothing more _to _say. We're done."

Mojo brushed past the redhead and went on his way, leaving her standing alone, baffled and guilt-ridden as she watched him disappear around the corner of the courthouse. After a few moments, she slowly took to the air and made her way home.

0ooooooo0

Nothing had changed. Everything was the same, just as Mojo had left it the last time he had ever been here. The only difference was the observatory was completely silent, which Mojo didn't like. He was so used to the beeping sounds all his different machines would make when active, which for some odd reason, were comforting to him, but the only sound that could be heard was the echoing of his footsteps as he made his way into his living room. It felt good to be home. Well, he could hardly call it home, but it was better than being cooped up in a jail cell for so many years.

Before taking a seat on his couch to relax for a while, Mojo went around and tried to turn on a few lights. Surprisingly, his electricity had been cut back on sooner than he had thought. He next tried the phone, which was working as well. He hadn't thought everything would be turned back on this soon. Usually companies turned things on whenever the hell they felt like it, but Mojo figured they didn't want to have a disgruntled villain on their hands. They must have gotten word before even he did that he was going to be released.

After checking to see that everything was up and running like it should be, Mojo went over to his couch and sat down, leaning back against the arm rest. He was exhausted, and rightfully so. When he had first heard the news that there was a possibility he was going to be released, he hadn't slept a wink before the trial. Now he felt like if he went to sleep now, he wouldn't wake up for forty-eight hours. And it was at that very moment that the phone rang.

Apparently, getting any sleep was _not_ going to happen anytime soon.

Mojo groaned. Someone was calling him already? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow morning? He was too tired to talk right now. "It better not be Blossom," he mumbled as he grabbed for the ringing phone.

"What?"

There was a short pause.

"_Sheesh, for someone who's just been released from prison, you certainly are in a bad mood."_

Mojo sighed as he realized who he was speaking to. "What do you want, Him? I am very tired, so can we make this quick? By which I mean can we keep whatever conversation you wish to indulge in to a minimum of words because I very much wish to relax for the rest of the night. Which is to say I do not want to speak nor do I want to do any sort of activity which requires movement of any sort."

"_Alright, alright, I get it! Great, now thanks to your babbling I forgot what I was going to ask…"_

"You already knew I was out of prison?"

"_Yes. It was on the news."_

"Well, are you disappointed?"

"_What? That you didn't kill those people? I don't know. I guess it didn't seem like your style."_

"Him, I told you repeatedly every time you came to visit me that I did not kill those people. I have no desire to kill at random. The only people I want to kill are the Powerpuff Girls…and especially Blossom," Mojo muttered, but Him still heard him. "That little…." Mojo bit his bottom lip, trying to settle his anger. "It is her fault! She wanted me to be put away for good."

"_Well, how about we make a deal? You and I both want to destroy those little brats, so how about you kill Blossom, and then I'll destroy her sisters? They'll be easy to pick off since they won't have their precious leader around. No one else wants to destroy them more than you and I. This way we both get to have the pleasure of destroying them."_

"How about we discuss that idea on a different day? Perhaps when I am not about to pass out from exhaustion?"

"_Alright, I get it. I can tell when I'm not wanted. Goodbye then."_

Him hung up before Mojo even had a chance to respond, but he didn't care. He simply hung up the phone and dragged himself into his bedroom and prepared himself for bed, despite the fact that it was only five thirty.

0ooooooo0

"Blossom, don't be so hard on yourself," the Professor said gently as he set Blossom's dinner down in front of her.

"Yeah, everyone thought he did it, and who wouldn't?" Buttercup agreed as she gathered several strands of spaghetti onto her fork. "Mojo has been a criminal for years and the murderer used his weapons to kill those people."

Blossom eyed Buttercup curiously. "Well you certainly seem happy he's been acquitted," she said sarcastically.

"Am I supposed to be happy? Why would I be happy that a criminal is now back on the streets, free to destroy Townsville whenever he wants to again?"

"I'm glad he's out," Bubbles chimed in. "It just didn't seem like Mojo. The crime seemed a bit too extreme even for him. He's the type that likes blowing stuff up, not killing innocent people."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Oh Bubbles, you think there's good in everyone. And besides, Mojo has tried numerous times to kill us. Of course he's capable of killing people."

"Why don't we discuss something else?" asked the Professor, hoping to get on a more enjoyable and less controversial topic, but the girls seemed to have not heard the suggestion.

"Buttercup, Mojo's anger has always been pinpointed at us. We foiled his first plan to take over the world almost ten years ago, and he's obviously held that against us since then and-"

"Which just goes to show that he needs to suck it up and get a life," Buttercup retorted. Blossom sighed, becoming frustrated with Buttercup's arrogance.

"Look, the point is it's obvious the only people he is interested in killing is us. He has no reason to want to kill anyone else." Blossom slumped down into her chair, poking her spaghetti with her fork. "And I let my anger cloud my judgment," she added quietly. Professor Utonium quickly caught the gap in Buttercup and Blossom's quarrel and spoke up again.

"Okay, that's enough. This discussion is closed," he said firmly. "Now, let's talk about something else. Bubbles, how was school today?"

"Oh it was so funny! My fourth period teacher, Ms. Nelson accidentally got the back of her skirt stuck in her pantyhose. Everyone was pointing and laughing at her every time she turned to face the blackboard. She didn't even notice until the end of class. That's the first time anything interesting has ever happened in algebra class."

"Ugh, don't even mention math," grumbled Buttercup.

"Now girls, math can be very interesting if you just give it a chance."

Blossom could hardly keep her attention on the current discussion, though usually she would be highly engrossed in a conversation dealing with math, or anything else that dealt with education. She was infuriated with herself, but also concerned. Was Mojo right? Did she really neglect the possibilities that he was innocent because she _wanted _him to be guilty?

"Can I be excused?" she asked suddenly, interrupting the conversation.

"But you haven't even touched your food," said the Professor with concern.

"I don't have much of an appetite."

"Well…alright."

Blossom muttered a "Thanks" and exited the dinner table, ignoring the concerned looks she was receiving from her family. She slowly floated up to her room and closed the door, then went over to her bed to lay down. "Now he has even more of a reason to hate me. He was innocent all this time."

'_You're still angry with him. You trusted him, and he betrayed you. He used you, and you haven't forgotten that. That's why you didn't want to believe he was innocent.'_

"He may have betrayed my trust…but I took away four years of his life…and he was innocent," Blossom said aloud. "I've completely tarnished the meaning of being a Powerpuff Girl."

'_It's not your fault.'_

"Yes, it is. An innocent person was put in prison while a true murderer walked free without serving justice."

'_But Mojo isn't exactly innocent. He may have been innocent of the murder, but as a whole, he's guilty.'_

"That doesn't mean he deserved what happened to him!" Blossom shouted, but suddenly felt rather silly. "Look at me, I'm arguing with myself." Getting up, she floated over to the middle window and looked out towards the city. She could just barely make out the top of Mojo's observatory in the distance. "I wonder what he's doing right now….Probably plotting my death. Can't say I blame him," she said as she suddenly turned her back to the window and looked towards the floor. The sound of the bedroom door opening grabbed her attention.

"Blossom? Honey, what is it?"

"You know what it is, Professor," Blossom replied, turning back around to look out the window again. She heard the Professor take a seat on her bed.

"I know you're feeling guilty, but I told you it wasn't your fault. Did you try apologizing to him?"

"Yeah…"

"And? What did he say?"

"What do you think he said?"

The Professor smiled crookedly. "I take it he wasn't too happy?"

"No. I've been disappointed with myself plenty of times before…but I don't think I've ever hated myself as much as I do right now. I'm supposed to protect the innocent, and put away the criminals…I did just the opposite."

"Well…not quite, Blossom. Mojo _is _a criminal."

"Professor! He was innocent! He didn't kill anyone! And the person who did got away for four years."

"But he's in prison now."

Blossom slowly turned to face the Professor, who noticed straight away that she had paled slightly. "Professor…several people have gone missing since Mojo was first arrested and sent to prison…what if…what if that man killed them, too…and we just haven't found the bodies yet…and…oh God…"

The Professor quickly stood up and walked over to Blossom, who he could tell looked close to fainting. He led her back over to her bed and carefully sat her down next to him. "You don't know that, honey. Anything could have happened."

"I know but…if that man also killed the people who have been missing then…it's my fault."

"No, Blossom. You fight crime and help enforce the law, but you're not the law. The legal system made a mistake, not you, and no one is blaming you for that."

"Mojo is…because he knows how much I wanted to see him put behind bars….and I let my personal anger towards him get in the way of my judgment." Blossom pulled away from the Professor and got up to pace the room. "Maybe I should try talking to him again," she stated aloud, but mostly to herself.

"Blossom, if he didn't listen before, I really doubt he'll listen again."

The redhead stopped and turned to face the man. Somehow she knew he was right, but she also felt as though she didn't get a chance to say all she should have said, though she really didn't know what else she could say besides "I'm sorry."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Just let it go."

The Professor got up to leave, leaving Blossom alone to thoroughly consider her options. Maybe she _should_ just let it go. She had apologized to him, that was what was important, but there was still that nagging feeling that she hadn't said all that could have, and _should _have been said.

"He won't listen."

'_Then just try being a bit more persistent.'_

TBC…

* * *

**A/N: **This fanfic was started about seven months ago. I actually got quite a bit done the first couple of months, but then I lost interest for about three months, unfortunately, but now my interest for this fic has returned and I am going to try and complete it. I had originally planned to finish the whole thing before I posted it, but that didn't quite happen, and I'm dying to get it up for people to read. I have about half of it complete so far. Maybe a little more than half. Which means that about 7 chapters are already ready to post right now, but updates will be about 10 days apart, and in between updates, I will try to complete at least 1,000 words. So, next update won't be until June 30th.

But I hope you enjoy this fanfic. The title of this story has a literal meaning, which I'm sure some of you probably have already figured out. But the title also has a more metaphorical meaning, which will be revealed towards the end of the story. And sorry, but this isn't another RRB/PPG fanfic. So if you've read this far hoping there would be some RRB/PPG squeezed in here somewhere, you are shit out of luck. If you don't like the idea of Mojo/Blossom, please scurry along.


	2. The Deal

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Chapter II

****

The Deal

Blossom slumped down into the plastic seat as her eyes wandered towards the open window of the classroom. She took a moment to look at her watch and sighed. It seemed as though seventh period had started over an hour ago, but it had only been twenty minutes. Oh, come on three thirty!

The day had gone by so agonizingly slow, and Blossom's mind was still heavily focused on Mojo. During her lunch period she had been so concerned with what she wanted to say to him that she only managed to get three bites of her chicken salad, and her education had been the least of her worries. She didn't share any classes with Buttercup, but she did have Bubbles first and fourth period, and the bubbly little blonde was quick to catch Blossom's distress. She had questioned her several times, and Blossom didn't lie to her like she wanted to, but Bubbles understood still. Buttercup most likely would have just told her to forget about the whole thing like the Professor had, only she would have been a little less considerate.

"Blossom, are you paying attention?"

Blossom wasn't so deep into her thoughts that she did not hear the teacher's question and quickly straightened up in her seat. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stoke, I'll pay attention."

The teacher's expression softened a bit as he eyed Blossom with concern. "Are you feeling alright? You don't seem to be yourself today. Would you like to go to the nurse?"

"No, no, I'm fine."

Mr. Stoke nodded and turned back to writing his notes down on the overhead. Blossom looked down at her notebook and noticed with mild horror that she had only written about three sentences of the notes that she was supposed to be taking. She couldn't ask if Mr. Stoke would roll the sheet back down, because who knows how far ahead everyone else was.

"Here, you can copy mine," a female student whispered as she handed her notebook over to Blossom. "I've been done for about three minutes."

"Thanks, Mary." Blossom quickly took the notebook and started jotting down Mary's notes, thankful that that girl could write fast. But it seemed like she had a good four paragraphs to copy before she was caught up with everyone else. That was it. She had to go to talk to Mojo after school. She couldn't let this interfere with her schoolwork.

0ooooooo0

Heading toward her locker, Blossom already caught sight of her sisters waiting for her, chatting amongst each other. Buttercup was the first to notice her approaching them. "Hey, Big Red," she greeted as she pushed herself off of the row of lockers. "Since it's Friday the Professor isn't expecting us home for two hours, so Bubbles and I were thinking about going down to meet Mitch and Kim at the pizza parlor. You wanna come?"

Blossom was hesitant before replying. She quickly jumped on the first excuse that popped into her head. "No, I ugh, I need to go to the library to work on that research paper that's due next week."

"Blossom, you finished that thing Monday. Why do you need to work on it?" Buttercup asked, eying Blossom suspiciously.

"I know, but I want to tweak it a bit. I don't think it's long enough anyway."

"It's eight pages, Blossom! Geez."

"I know, but I still think I can do a little bit more work on it. You guys go ahead. I'll meet you both back at home for dinner."

Buttercup shrugged. "Okay, whatever. Come on, Bubbles, let's go. Mitch bet me five bucks that I couldn't beat him to the pizza place without flying. It's already three thirty-five, which means I don't have enough time left to go outside and steal his bike. Come on!" Buttercup grabbed Bubbles' arm and dragged her along, pushing through the crowds of people scurrying around in the hallway.

"Bye, Blossom!" Bubbles shouted through the crowd, hoping her sister heard.

"Bye, guys," said Blossom quietly before turning to open her locker. After stuffing her unnecessary books in her locker, she quickly pushed her way through the excited crowds of people in the hallway and made her way outside to the front of the school where the buses were currently filling up. She took off slowly as she was in no hurry to face Mojo. In fact, she could already feel her throat closing up. Perfect, that's all she needed.

Just as the observatory came into view, Blossom's eyes wandered off to her left for a moment. She suddenly stopped mid air as she caught sight of the prison just a few hundred yards away. Strangely, her heart started pounding as she was faced with a decision. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the observatory and the prison, her mind undecided. She wanted to talk to Mojo…but upon seeing the prison, she now had the urge to talk to someone else.

Mojo would have to wait.

0ooooooo0

It had actually been a while since Blossom had set foot in a prison. Normally she just handed the criminals over to the police and they would take them to jail. Very rarely did she or her sisters deliver villains to jail in person, and being inside a prison was extremely uncomfortable for her, mainly because of the fact that most eyes were on her, and they didn't look happy.

"Can I help you, Blossom?" the warden asked, expressing a look of confusion upon seeing a Powerpuff Girl enter the prison without a criminal in hand.

"Yes…umm…can I see Mark Clayton?"

"What do you want to see him for, honey?" the warden asked firmly.

"I just want to see him. Please?"

The man nodded, but didn't look too eager to escort Blossom to his cell. As they made their way down a long, narrow row of cells, Blossom tried her best to keep her attention focused straight ahead as many prisoners began jeering at her.

"What you doin' here, bitch?!" one shouted at her before spitting through the bars at her. Grimacing, she wiped the spit from her face and continued walking.

"What's a pretty thing like you doin' in here?" another asked, quirking his eyebrows, but Blossom just barely offered him a glance.

"Alright, here we are," the warden said as he nodded towards one of the cells. "Mark, get up. You got a visitor."

As the warden walked off, Blossom took a step closer to the cell peering angrily through the bars. Her expression hardened as Mark suddenly revealed himself from the bottom bunk and got to his feet, taking a moment to stretch. "Well, whaddya know, it's one of those Powderpuffs," he said, sounding rather uninterested.

"It's _Power_puff, you sleaze."

"Oh, I see, came here to call me names, hmm?" Mark replied with a laugh. He leaned back against the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, what're you here for, anyway?" he asked lazily.

"I've dealt with a lot of criminals in my time. But I'm not so sure I've met one quite as disgusting as you. Anyone who could…could stoop low enough to kill children-"

"So you came to preach to me? Please, sugar, save it. You'll bore me to tears."

Blossom folded her arms over her chest as her eyes narrowed to slits. "You really did set Mojo up, didn't you?"

"Well of course I did! I always hated that stupid monkey. Every day you'd see his face on the TV. I knew he'd be perfect for the set up, and you all just fell right into it, too. I knew you'd believe he did it. That's what made it so easy. Imagine how much I laughed when I watched the whole thing on TV."

"Imagine how much I'm going to laugh when they stick a needle in your arm," Blossom replied venomously as she took a step closer to the cell. "You really don't have a soul, do you? Someone who could take pleasure in murdering an innocent family…and then taking enjoyment out of watching someone else pay for your despicable crime…"

"I know, I'm a piece of work, aren't I?" Mark replied proudly.

"Yeah, well you messed up, genius. You just had to kill again."

Mark nodded, displaying more interest with a piece of thread that had worked itself loose on the tail of his shirt. "Yes, I'll admit, I screwed it up. I probably could have gotten away with it had I not bound the man in the same fashion I had with that family. But honestly, I thought the police were too stupid around here to notice little details like that."

Blossom sneered. "That's what tipped them off, but that's not what proved you committed the murders. After you killed Mr. McClorall the police went back and investigated that warehouse more thoroughly and came upon an old, green jacket, which fortunately still had a strand of hair in the collar. And you were stupid enough to kill in broad daylight where there was sure to be at least one eye witness." Blossom suddenly smirked, but Mark didn't look the least bit fazed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. That was also foolish on my part. I forgot about that old thing. It was pretty hot in that warehouse, so I took it off and tossed it in an old cardboard box, but I forgot about it. I'm just surprised the police even found it."

"Well, you shot yourself in the foot with that one."

Mark slowly turned to face Blossom, flashing her a grin. "My, you're a cocky little thing, aren't you?" He suddenly looked her up and down. "Pretty, too."

"Shut up," Blossom spat. "Well, I just had to see for myself just what kind of creature you are. And you're just as I suspected: a sick monster with no conscience at all. At least now you'll never be able to kill again."

"We'll see about that," Mark replied softly, though it fell on deaf ears since Blossom had already turned to leave. She couldn't bear to be in the presence of such a vile creature any longer. It was all she could do to keep from breaking through the bars and ripping that man apart, limb from limb.

As she made her way out of the prison, she felt more guilt suddenly constrict her heart. The thought of Mojo having to waste away in prison, paying for the crime of a heartless being...Oh wait…Mojo….

During those five minutes she had spent talking with Mark, she had quickly forgotten that she had originally planned to see Mojo right after school. She took to the air and started making her way towards the observatory, but she was instantly starting to have second thoughts. There was no way he would listen to her. He would most likely slam the door in her face the second he saw her.

Well, she had to try.

0ooooooo0

Mojo unrolled one of the temporarily forgotten blueprints out onto the table and then reached up to turn on his desk lamp. He had several new devices and machines in the making before his unjustified arrest, and he had really been looking forward to getting these projects done. He also had some improvements he wanted to make with his Robo Jojo, but unfortunately he had to spend four years rotting in prison.

A knock at the door brought him out of his concentration. He almost considered not answering it since he first suspected it was someone for the Townsville Tribune, or possibly a writer of some sort who wanted to get his story on his release. The judge had warned him that this might happen, and Mojo had gotten a good taste of it the previous night when his phone had rung every five seconds. He finally ended up just unplugging the thing, but it seemed like these people were pretty persistent if they were even willing to come to his house in person.

Grumbling, Mojo got up to answer the door.

"I'm not interested!" he shouted before the door had even been opened all the way. His expression changed when he saw that it was Blossom who was standing on his doorstep, but it only took but a second before his expression quickly switched back over to aggravation. "What are you doing here?"

"I know you don't want to see me, but I really want to talk to you."

"Forget it," Mojo replied before trying to slam the door in Blossom's face, but the redhead quickly stepped up and stopped the door before it closed.

"Please, just give me five minutes," she said as she pushed against the door, forgetting her superior strength and accidentally knocking Mojo back onto the floor. "Oops. Sorry."

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," Mojo grumbled as he got to his feet. "Now please leave. That is to say escort yourself from this current location and relocate yourself in a place that is not here."

Blossom tried to refrain from giggling. "Well, that certainly hasn't changed," she said, though it only seemed to anger Mojo further.

"Get out!" he shouted, pointing to the door.

"No! I'm not leaving until I talk to you!"

Mojo sneered before turning his back and walking back over to where his blueprints rested, determined to ignore whatever Blossom had to say. "Well you might as well be talking to a fence because I refuse to listen."

Blossom sighed, stepping further into the observatory but hesitated before approaching Mojo. "I'm sorry, Mojo. I don't know how many times I can say it. I…I think you were right. I really think I wanted to believe you were guilty. I think I wanted to see you be put away forever. I was still angry with you. I don't think I'll ever stop being angry with you. When we first met I…Well, I trusted you. I admired you and I thought you really cared about us as well, but I think I was the one who felt more betrayed. You just seemed like someone I could relate to, someone who shared the same interests as me, someone with a brilliant mind. And well…I let all that cloud my judgment, and I was wrong for that."

"I see," Mojo murmured as he pulled a protractor from the drawer of his desk, "so it _was _all personal. You just wanted to see me rot away for the rest of my life because you keep picking at that scab. Was it really worth it? Was it really worth the cost of my life?"

"Mojo, you only served four years. Be happy you didn't have to serve your entire life like you would have had they not found the real murderer." It only took Blossom two seconds to realize that those had been a very poor choice of words. She winced when she noticed Mojo turn to face her, obviously furious.

"Oh, you're right! It was only four years, no big deal. I suppose I should just go out and spread joy since it was only four years of my life that I can never get back. YOU LITTLE BRAT!!" Mojo stood up so suddenly that it knocked the chair he had been sitting in to the ground with a loud clatter. He stormed towards Blossom, his eyes ablaze with anger. "I shouldn't have had to serve those years in the first place! How would you feel if you had to sit and waste away in a jail cell, knowing you're innocent, and knowing someone else who should be serving the punishment is out there, laughing it up?"

Blossom was silent, though she looked close to tears. Mojo simply huffed and walked towards one of the oval-shaped windows. He placed his hands behind his back in his usual fashion, looking out towards the city in silence.

"I know," Blossom responded quietly, slowly turning her head to look towards her nemesis. "And you have a right to be angry." Blossom nervously started to approach the megalomaniac, keeping her guard up in case he tried to attack her, but he remained silent as he continued to stare out the window, still as a statue. "What can I do to make it up to you?" she asked calmly. Mojo turned his head sideways for a moment, eyeing her through the corner of his eye.

"There is nothing you can do. Now leave."

"There must me something," Blossom persuaded.

"I told you there isn't." Mojo turned his head back to face the front again, inaudibly declaring the discussion closed. Blossom was about to give up and leave, but an idea suddenly occurred to her, but she wasn't sure if it was something she could live up to, and she knew her family would not go for it, but she wondered if perhaps Mojo might go for it.

"I think there might be one way," she said. Mojo turned around to face her completely, obviously curious on what the intelligent, young Powerpuff Girl had to offer.

"Oh? Enlighten me," he drawled, leaning back against the window.

"Well," Blossom began, her eyes falling to the floor, "what if I agree to be your prisoner for four years?" She slowly looked up to see Mojo's reaction to the suggestion. His eyes had widened with shock and his mouth hung open slightly.

"Is this some kind of joke? By which I mean are the words that are currently being spoken from your mouth not an expression of truth?" he asked. Blossom shook her head.

"No, this isn't a joke, Mojo. What happened to you was unjust, and simple apologies cannot make up for it. I feel partially responsible, so I think it's only fit that I agree to give up four years of my freedom. That is my offer."

Mojo certainly had not been expecting such an offer. He vaguely wondered if Blossom even knew what she was agreeing to here. And what of her sisters? They certainly wouldn't agree to allowing their sister to live with a sinister villain, but knowing that her sisters would be on their own to fight crime without their leader at their side to guide them made him cackle on the inside. There were benefits on all sides here. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.

"Very well. I accept."

Blossom looked a bit surprised for a moment. She hadn't been too sure if Mojo would agree to having her around for four years, but at that very moment, she suddenly realized what she had just agreed to and it sent her stomach into a fit of flip flops.

"When do you want me to start?"

"I expect you to report back here tomorrow morning, no later than nine a.m. When you arrive tomorrow, I will have your room slash prison cell prepared. You will have tonight to explain all of this to your family."

Blossom paled slightly. "My family…How am I supposed to tell them?"

"That is not my concern," replied Mojo haughtily. "But I suggest you hurry home now. Tonight is the last night you will get to spend with them."

"Wait…you mean…I won't be able to have visiting hours?" Blossom asked, sounding horrified. Mojo thought it over for a moment.

"I will have to sleep on it. I will let you know tomorrow when you arrive. Now hurry home and pack your things. I have to make preparations."

TBC…

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! And thank you very much for all the reviews! I got seven reviews total! Of course, one of them was an idiotic flame, but at least the other six balanced out the dipshitty one XD I just love it when people don't have the common sense not to read something they don't like even when they've clearly been warned. Anyway, thanks guys!

**Next chapter: **The Departure

**Expected update: **July 10th.


	3. The Departure

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Chapter III

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The Departure

Blossom flew home in somewhat of a daze. Had she really just agreed to spend four years with her arch nemesis? Oh God, how was she going to tell her sisters? How was she going to tell the Professor? There was no way they would go for this, and no way they would let her go without a fight.

__

How could you agree to something so foolish?

There was that damn voice again.

"I don't know, okay?" Blossom answered. "I guess my guilt just got the better of me."

Blossom slowly touched down right in front of the door to her suburban home, her heart in her throat. She felt as though she was walking to her own execution. Gulping, she slowly turned the knob and opened the front door, instantly spotting the Professor sitting on the living room couch, watching the national news with a hardened gaze.

"Blossom, you're home early," he said with surprise as he finally acknowledged Blossom's presence. "I thought you and your sisters were going somewhere after school."

"I take it they're not home yet?"

The Professor shook his head as he put the TV on mute. "Where are they, anyway?"

"Oh…Buttercup and Bubbles went to the pizza parlor with Mitch and Kim."

The Professor sighed. "Oh, those girls are going to spoil their appetites. I was going to make roast chicken for dinner tonight."

"Well, knowing Buttercup, she can eat a whole pizza and still be hungry," Blossom laughed, though her smile quickly faded once she remembered what she needed to tell the Professor. "Umm, Professor…there's something I need to tell you."

"Yes?"

Blossom opened her mouth to speak but shut it quickly. "Wait…no, I need to tell everyone this. I better wait until Bubbles and Buttercup get home."

"Is it important?"

"…Yeah."

"What is it? Did something happen at school?"

"No, no. It's…I just really need to tell you all together, so I'm going to wait, okay?"

Blossom hated that look the Professor was giving her. She hadn't even told him anything yet and already he was looking a bit edgy, which made her fear his reaction to what she was going to tell him even more. This was not going to be pretty.

"Alright," said the Professor, trying to hide his concern. Blossom smiled softly before turning to go upstairs, knowing that the Professor was watching her, his worry never lifting from his face.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Blossom murmured to herself as she opened the door to her bedroom.

0ooooooo0

It was a full hour before Bubbles and Buttercup arrived back home. Blossom sighed, knowing the worst had yet to come. Just as she was about to get up and make her way downstairs, she heard the Professor call for her, clearly anxious to find out what she had to tell her family. She almost laughed.

Slowly, and with more fear than ever, she floated downstairs where her family awaited her. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

"Hey, Blossom, what's going on?" asked Buttercup.

"Yeah, what did you want to talk to us about?" Bubbles added.

Blossom sighed. It was now or never.

"Well, the truth is, I didn't go to the library after school like I said I would," she began, her voice quivering somewhat. Buttercup smirked.

"Ha! I knew it!" she quipped. "Let me guess? You've been secretly seeing a guy and you didn't want us to know?"

"No, Buttercup, it's a bit more serious than that. Please, just let me get it all out." Blossom figured it would be best to leave out the part where she had visited the prison. It really wasn't of any importance. "Okay…well…I actually went to see Mojo."

"You what?!" Buttercup snapped. Neither Bubbles nor the Professor looked surprised to say the least. They both knew how much guilt was riding on Blossom's conscience at the moment. "Why did you bother visiting that jerk for?"

"Because I still felt like I needed to say more to him…even though I didn't really know what else could be said. I knew just apologizing wasn't enough. I had to make it up to him some other way…"

"What are you getting at?" Buttercup asked, not really liking where this was going.

Blossom swallowed. "I made a deal with him…I told him that I would willingly be his prisoner for four years."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Blossom didn't even bother to look up at her family. She didn't have to. She knew exactly how shocked they must have been.

"NO! Absolutely not!" the Professor shouted, getting to his feet. Bubbles and Buttercup were far beyond dumbstruck, but after a few moments Buttercup seemed just as angry as the Professor.

"Professor, please-" Blossom began calmly, but the Professor wasn't interested at hearing what she had to say and quickly cut her off.

"Blossom, how?! How could you agree to something like that?! I know you feel guilty about all this but that doesn't mean you have to go to extremes! You apologized and that was enough!"

"No, it wasn't!" Blossom shouted back, hardly caring that her tone had risen just enough to match the Professor's. "It wasn't enough for Mojo, and it wasn't enough for me, either!"

"Well, I don't care!" the Professor replied, shaking his head and waving his hands back and forth. "You are not doing this, Blossom. No!"

"What's the matter with you, Blossom?!" Buttercup suddenly joined in, getting up off the couch and walking towards her sister. "You're supposed to be the smart one! This is the stupidest idea you've ever come up with! You're throwing your life away!"

"It's only four years! It's not my entire life! Look, I don't care what you all think! I'm doing this! I have a mind of my own!"

"Yeah, but you're not using it!" Buttercup snapped.

Blossom suddenly turned her back to her family and started making her way back upstairs. "You can't stop me from doing this! I've already made up my mind!"

0ooooooo0

Blossom pulled her suitcase out from under her bed and slammed it down onto the bed, ignoring the tears that spilled freely from her eyes. She walked over to the closet and started going through all her clothes. Four years was a long time, so she figured it would only make sense to take her entire wardrobe with her. But what was she supposed to do when she started to outgrow her clothes? Well, she'd worry about that in a year or so.

She gathered up everything she owned in the closet and made her way back over to her bed to begin filling up her suitcase. She pulled all her tops off the hangers and folded them neatly before stuffing them in her suitcase. She knew straight away that her pants would have to go in a separate suitcase. Heck, she wasn't even sure if all her shirts were going to fit in the one suitcase she had.

The door opened suddenly, but Blossom didn't bother to turn around. She wasn't interested in anything else her family had to say to her; she had made up her mind.

"Blossom, please, just listen to us," said Bubbles gently as she made her way towards her sister, but Blossom shook her head, continuing to fold her clothes.

"No. I told you, I've made up my mind."

"Blossom, why do you have to do this?" Buttercup questioned, her tone a bit more gentle than it had been back downstairs. "We all made sure Mojo was put behind bars. Why should you be the one to pay the price for it?"

Blossom put the top she had been folding down onto the bed and slowly turned to face her sisters. "You don't understand, Buttercup. I was in court that day the verdict had been read. When the jury announced that Mojo was guilty…this smile spread across my face. And it wasn't an ordinary smile, either. It was this sick, sadistic smile…and it widened once I saw the look on Mojo's face."

"Blossom, I think you're exaggerating. You were just glad to know that he was being punished. And sure, he didn't do it, we know that now, but again, that's not your fault."

"No, Buttercup. I wanted to see him go to prison. And I always thought it was because I thought he killed that family…but it was more because of my personal anger towards him. When I found out that he had just been using us all those years ago…I felt so betrayed. I was hurt, infuriated…and I felt like I wouldn't be able to trust anyone ever again…and I've always held that against him. I should have known better than to let my personal feelings get in the way, but I did, and look what happened."

Blossom went back to packing her clothes into her suitcase.

"But, Blossom, you hardly had a hand in it. You were the one who told the police that the laser had belonged to him, and before any of us could blink you flew off and beat the crap out of him, but other than that, it was all the legal system's doing. You're not to blame for it."

"But Mojo was right. I should have had enough sense to realize that someone could have easily set him up…and what scares me is…maybe deep down I knew he was innocent…but I only cared about my own satisfaction in seeing him suffer."

"Blossom, that's ridiculous. You know that's not true," said Bubbles. Blossom sighed.

"Well, maybe you're right about that, but I still could have stepped up and addressed the possibility that he could've been innocent…but if I believed he was guilty, then everyone else saw it fit to believe he was guilty, too. Don't you see? I could have prevented it all from happening, but I sat back and let a real murderer walk free, and…you have no idea what it's doing to me."

"And you think this is going to make it all better? Spending four years with your worst enemy?" Buttercup asked, her anger trying to resurface again.

"Yes…I do."

"What about your schoolwork?" asked Bubbles. "You're going to be spending the rest of your high school years with Mojo, the most memorable school years of your life. Homecoming, prom, graduation, you're going to miss it all!" Bubbles was on the verge of tears at that point.

"I know, Bubbles. I'll ask the Professor to see if he can try and work it out so that I can do my schoolwork online. A lot of people go to school online nowadays."

"You think Mojo would let you?" asked Buttercup.

"I don't know."

"There's no talking you out of this, is there?"

Blossom folded the last of her tops and placed them in the suitcase, surprised that they just barely fit. Closing the suitcase, she shook her head. "No, Buttercup, I've made up my mind."

Buttercup sighed, taking a seat on Blossom's bed. "Don't you think you're being selfish here, Blossom? Don't you realize how badly you're about to hurt this family? Did you ever stop and think about what this might do to us? Or the Professor?"

"Is that what you think? You think I'm selfish?" Blossom shook her head. She didn't know how to further carry on with her argument. "You know, just forget it. You both can't possibly begin to understand where I'm coming from." Blossom set her suitcase down on the floor and sat down on her bed, burying her face in her hands. She felt someone sit down beside her and place a hand on her shoulder. She knew straight away that it was Bubbles.

"I understand," she said gently. "I know how smart you are, and I trust that you know what you're doing. But I just don't think I could bear you being gone for four years."

Blossom revealed her face from her hands, which was heavily stained with tears. "Mojo said he would consider visiting hours, like what'd you'd have in a real prison, so you'd still get to see me."

"Visiting hours, huh? Wow, what a saint," Buttercup drawled sarcastically. She angrily stood up and made her way towards the door. "You want to go live with that psychotic chimp? Then go right ahead! See if I care!" Buttercup yanked the door open and strolled out, slamming it behind her to better prove her anger, as well as her despair. Blossom knew Buttercup well enough to know that she was hurting, and it hurt Blossom to know that she was causing her family so much pain. Maybe she really was being selfish.

"It's not like I'm looking forward to living with him," she said, her voice shaking. "It's just that…I don't think there's any other way to show him how sorry I am. I took away four years of his life…It's only fair that he take away four years of mine."

The two Puffs sat in silence for a moment before Blossom looked back at her now full to the top suitcase and said, "I'm going to need another suitcase."

"You can borrow mine."

0ooooooo0

Blossom looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was already past two o' clock and she still hadn't managed to get to sleep; her mind was alive with so many thoughts…and so many fears. Her main concern was living with Mojo for four years. She was rather surprised he gave into the idea so easily. Was it because he was planning to devise a way to destroy her while she was under his roof? Perhaps he thought destroying one Powerpuff Girl on her own was easier than trying to kill off three at a time.

Blossom had tried talking with the Professor alone earlier before going to bed. Though it took him a while to finally admit it, he knew he couldn't stop Blossom from doing what she wanted. He was her creator (partly), as well as her father figure, but he knew that despite that, he could only love and guide her. He couldn't control her, though many parents would argue against that. Blossom _did _have a mind of her own, and for most of her life she had shown good judgment and tended to make wise decisions, though the Professor wasn't sure if this could count as one, but what could he do? As much as it killed him, he had to let Blossom decide for herself what was right. And Blossom was older and stronger now. He figured she could hold up well against Mojo if he tried anything.

The Professor had agreed to talk to Blossom's teachers about doing her schoolwork through computer, though he wasn't sure how he was going to explain to them the situation at hand. But what worried Blossom was the fact that Mojo might not be too lenient on letting her continue her schoolings through a computer. She didn't even know if he'd budge on letting her have a computer period. Mojo was not the understanding type.

It was five till three before Blossom rolled over into a more comfortable position and finally started to drift off to sleep.

0ooooooo0

Mojo looked at the clock on his microwave as he heard a knock at the door. "With only three minutes to spare," he said as he carelessly tossed the dishrag into the sink and left the kitchen to answer the door. He wasn't at all surprised to see Blossom's family standing behind her, nor was he surprised to see the somewhat angry expressions they gave him the second he opened the door.

"Do not give me that look," he said, mentally rolling his eyes. "Blossom was the one who put the offer on the table, not me."

Blossom walked past Mojo and into the observatory without uttering a single word. She set her two suitcases down onto the floor and then turned around to face Mojo. "Alright, Mojo, how is this going to be?"

Mojo placed his hands behind his back. "After some consideration, I will allow you one phone call to your family a week, and one visit from them a month," he said sternly.

"A month?!" Buttercup shouted. "Can you make it a week?"

"Be grateful I am allowing you to visit at all."

"Can't Blossom come home to visit _us_?" asked Bubbles.

"This is prison, not college."

"Would it be alright for Blossom to keep a computer to do her schoolwork?" asked the Professor as calmly as he could.

"Why should I allow Blossom to continue her schoolings while she is a prisoner here? You are not allowed to do such a thing in a real prison, and that is what I am simulating here."

"Mojo, please," Blossom begged. "I can't bear to just throw my whole education out the window like that."

Mojo rolled his eyes, sighing in annoyance. "Fine, fine, I will allow it, but only for educational purposes," he added, holding up a finger.

Blossom smiled in relief before turning her attention back to her family. Before she had a chance to step forward and embrace them in a final goodbye , the Professor moved first and bent down to hug her tightly. "I really wish you weren't doing this," he said, tightening his hold more and more. "I really wish I weren't _letting _you do this….I must be losing my mind."

"Everything will be fine," Blossom replied, feeling tears welling up again. "It's not like you'll never see me again. I'll see you next month, okay?" Blossom turned and kissed the Professor on the cheek. After a few moments she finally had to pry him off of her, as much as it hurt her to let him go. Her sisters approached her next and she took both of them in a loving embrace, to which Mojo responded with another roll of the eyes. "You guys will be fine without me, don't worry."

"No, we won't," said Buttercup, trying to hold back tears. Bubbles was already in tears at that point.

"Yes, you will. You're both very strong. I know you'll be fine."

"You don't know that," Bubbles managed to say through her tears. "You're our leader."

"But that doesn't mean you're helpless without me. It'll be fine, Bubbles, I promise. You two just take care of each other while I'm gone, and the Professor, too." Blossom gave each of her sisters a kiss on top of their heads and gently pushed them away. "Go on, I'll be fine."

Both Buttercup and the Professor shot Mojo a warning glare before making their way out the door. Bubbles pursued them, her head downcast in sadness, though just before making it all the way out the door she turned to glance back at her sister one last time.

Mojo went to close the door once Bubbles exited the observatory. He visibly shuddered. That entire goodbye scene had been much too mushy and sweet for his liking. Turning back to Blossom, he smirked.

"Well, you're still sure about this?" he asked. Blossom nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, I am."

"Good, because there is no going back now. You will remain my prisoner for four years. As said, you will be allowed one phone call a week, and one visit a month from your family. You will be given three square meals a day and a maximum of three trips to the bathroom. Only during your umm…monthly inconveniences will I allow you additional trips to the bathroom."

Blossom's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh God, that reminds me, I forgot to pack tampons."

Mojo groaned, his hand flying to his forehead.

"Mojo…do you think you could go to the store and-"

"Finish that sentence and I swear I _will _rip your heart out."

"Oh, come on, Mojo. You should be thankful that you don't have to go through what we women do every month."

"I most certainly will not go to the store to buy tampons! It is not my wish to have a bunch of people staring at me, thinking I'm some kind of sick freak."

"Well…you can just tell them you're doing a scientific experiment."

"A scientific experiment? On what?! Super absorbency?!"

Blossom had to bite her lip in order to keep from laughing. "Fine. I guess when I talk to my family I'll just ask if one of my sisters will bring me some. How's that?"

Mojo relaxed a little bit. "Fine. Now, before I escort you to your room, there is something we must do first," Mojo replied, catching the glint of suspicion in Blossom's eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Just come with me."

Mojo approached Blossom and took her by the arm. Blossom followed alongside him in silence, wondering what in the world he was planning to do to her. Was this some kind of trick? Had he devised some sort of evil plot to destroy her like she had anticipated? Well, she wasn't about to let her guard down.

They entered the main lab where Blossom's eyes came to rest upon a large tank of some sort, and right above it a large showering head was suspended from a series of thin, transparent tubes.

"Okay, Mojo, what is this about?"

Mojo walked over to the console near the cylinder-like tank and hit a few buttons. "I did not want to bring this up in front of your family but last night I concocted three gallons of antidote X and-"

"No!" Blossom shouted, taking a step back. "No way are you draining my powers, Mojo!"

Mojo sighed. "I cannot take the chance on you going back on your word. Though you will be locked up, you could easily escape if you wanted to, but if you do not have your powers, then there will be no chance of escape."

"Oh, my word isn't enough for you?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Why couldn't you have just built some sort of device that would resist my powers and prevent me from escaping?"

"That would have taken too long to construct, and besides, though I hate to admit it, my plans are not always foolproof, but this one is."

Blossom looked from Mojo, to the large tank in fear. Give up her powers? On her own she was vulnerable enough as it was around Mojo, but now she'd be more vulnerable than ever if she did not have her superpowers to defend herself.

"You have my word that I will _not _try in any way to destroy you while you are deprived of your powers," said Mojo, as though reading Blossom's mind, but his voice _did _sound a bit disappointed.

"Well if my word that I won't try and escape isn't good enough for you, then your word that you won't try to harm me while I don't have my superpowers isn't good enough for me."

Mojo groaned. Somehow he had seen that one coming. "I swear, alright? You can shake my hand, I'll write it in blood, I'll-"

"Write it in blood, you say?" Blossom asked, looking a bit interested. Mojo however looked a bit taken aback by his own words.

"Well…I…"

"Tell you what. How about you write it down with a pen, and then sign your name in blood?"

"I really wasn't serious…"

Blossom folded her arms over her chest. "It's either that or I'm not getting in that thing," she said firmly, nodding towards the tank.

"Fine! Wait here."

Mojo turned and left the lab, grumbling something about how prisoners were not supposed to make deals. Once Blossom was alone she took a few steps closer to the large tank, already regretting even agreeing to give up her powers, even if Mojo did agree to sign his name in his own blood. Well, she knew she had no choice but to be a bit more trusting. After all, she would be living with Mojo for four years, and that was a long time. It was only just now occurring to Blossom how hard this was going to be, but as Mojo said, there was no going back now.

Mojo reentered the lab, looking just as annoyed as he had when he had left. In his hand he held a piece of paper and it looked like he had quickly scribbled something down. In his other hand he held a small sewing needle which Blossom was sure he planned to use to prick his finger. He shoved the paper in Blossom's face. "How is that?"

__

I, Mojo Jojo, agree that while Blossom is held prisoner under my roof, I will not harm her in any way while she is deprived of her super powers. If I so much as lay a hand on her with an intention to harm her, her sentence will be lifted and she will no longer be my prisoner.

"Serious?" Blossom asked, looking up from the paper. Her eyes probed Mojo's facial expression, looking for any signs that he may have been lying. "I could actually go free if you tried to hurt me?"

Mojo nodded, though he didn't look at all pleased that he had agreed to such terms. "I thought perhaps it would seal your trust."

"Well, it does a little," Blossom replied, looking over the contract again. "Now all you have to do is sign it."

Mojo narrowed his eyes before holding up the needle and pricking his finger, wincing slightly as he pushed the needle in deep enough so that a fair amount of blood would flow. Snatching the paper from Blossom's hand, he signed his name in silence and then shoved the paper back towards Blossom, muttering a distempered, "Happy now?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Of course…it's not a _legal_ contract..."

"Mojooo," Blossom warned.

"Alright, alright, alright! If you will, just remove your clothes and step into the tank."

Blossom took a step back, looking rather shocked. "Excuse _me? _Take off my clothes? You can forget it!"

Mojo rolled his eyes as he turned back to walk towards the console. "I will not look. You truly think I am a pervert?"

"Well, it's a characteristic that seems primary among all men."

"That may be so, but I can assure you that it is not a characteristic of mine. I will continue to face the console; I will not turn around. There's a towel sitting there by the door of the tank that you can use to dry off. Now hurry up, I'm tired of waiting."

"Oh, fine!" Blossom grabbed the tail end of her pink tank top and pulled it over her head, wincing as it tugged at her earrings. She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, which took her a couple of seconds. After letting that fall to the floor she unbuttoned her beige capris and pulled them off, along with her underwear. The entire time she kept her eyes on Mojo, making sure he didn't so much as turn his head. Gathering up her clothes, she made her way over to the tank and dropped them down next to the neatly folded towel, and then next opened the door of the tank and stepped inside.

Once Mojo heard the door of the tank close, he hit a few more buttons and the antidote X instantly started coursing through the tubes and through the oversized shower head.

Blossom looked up towards the showerhead as she heard the antidote X make its way through the tubes. She instantly lowered her head once the black liquid poured through the showerhead and into the tank. As it cascaded down her head, stomach, and back she already started feeling her powers slowly leaving her body. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar to her; Mojo had drained her powers in the past, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable. She felt herself growing weaker and weaker by the second, until finally she collapsed as the last of her powers drained from her body.

Mojo turned his head as he heard a rather loud thud come from the tank, but upon seeing Blossom's naked form he quickly turned his head, his right hand coming up to block his view. "Curses," he muttered, not meaning to look. He turned off the machine which had supplied the antidote X and waited patiently, knowing Blossom would come around in a few minutes or so after her body had become accustomed to her powers being absent.

About a minute or so passed before Blossom rolled over onto her back, her senses slowly returning. A few drops of antidote X dripped from the showerhead and landed with a light pitter patter on her forehead. She reached up a hand and wiped them away and tried with a great deal of effort to supply herself with enough energy just to push herself into a sitting position. Remembering that she was naked she quickly turned towards Mojo, but his back was still turned to her.

Blossom got to her feet, though her legs were a bit wobbly. She pushed open the door and bent down for the towel. "Alright, you can turn around now," she said as she secured the towel around her body.

"Very good. Now then, if you will please gather your clothes and follow me, I will show you to your room."

"You mean my prison cell," Blossom muttered as she gathered her clothes into her arms and followed Mojo out of the lab, noticing that he stopped off and picked up both of her suitcases.

TBC…

* * *

**Next chapter: **Getting Settled

**Expected update: **July 20th.


	4. Getting Settled

__

Chapter IV

**Getting Settled**

Blossom was rather surprised when Mojo lead her into a surprisingly nicely furnished room. "This used to be my study," he said. "But I did a little rearranging."

There was a large shelf on one side of the room just to the left of the door which housed dozens of books, and there was a mattress near the center of the room, clothed in bed sheets and a comforter. The fact that there was no frame did not matter to Blossom. She knew this bed put that horrible cot Mojo had to sleep on for four years to shame.

"I rearranged the lock on the door so that the door locks from the outside, rather than inside," said Mojo as he sat the suitcases down onto the floor of the room.

"That's fine," Blossom replied with a somewhat distant tone as she stepped into the room, still too preoccupied with examining her new surroundings. She looked towards the bookshelf. "Are those for me?"

Mojo nodded. "Yes. I'm sure you have probably read all that is on that shelf, but this will make up for not having the privilege of watching television. Now…I take it you've already had breakfast?"

Blossom nodded.

"Good. Then I shall bring you your lunch at twelve thirty."

Mojo was about to turn and leave but Blossom stopped him with a rather frightening statement.

"You know, Mojo, while I'm here you won't be able to commit any crimes, because you _do _have to supervise me, and you can't do that while you're in jail."

Mojo's eyes widened in realization. He whirled around to face her, his hands balling into fists. "You accursed little brat! You knew this, didn't you?! Is this why you agreed to be my prisoner? So that I could not commit any crimes?!"

"Take it down a notch, Mojo. I just now realized that."

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to commit any crimes for four years left Mojo in a state of shock for a moment, but he smiled when he suddenly realized something else. "But it will hardly matter, my dear Blossom. Because you see, though you may think that your sisters are strong on their own, they are truly nothing without you. At some point, they will fall. You are the most valuable link in the chain, Blossom, and now that that chain is broken, your sisters won't last much longer. You see, I _will_ be able to destroy you, and I won't even have to lift a finger."

Mojo offered a final smirk before he turned to leave, shutting the door behind him and locking it. Blossom stared at the door in silence, her mouth agape. What if Mojo was right? She knew her sisters were strong but…she had always been there for them and guided them in the fiercest of battles. What if they couldn't make it without her? But then again, they weren't five years old anymore. They were teenagers now, and had a greater sense of responsibility and independence.

"They'll be fine," Blossom reassured herself. "They don't need me." She let the towel that she had been holding firmly around her chest fall to the floor and she quickly started to slip her clothes back on, but just as she was fastening her bra she nervously started searching the corners of the ceiling, wondering if perhaps Mojo might have installed a camera to monitor her every move, but when she saw no such thing, she resumed dressing herself, though still a bit suspicious.

Noticing the wooden dresser near her bed, Blossom went to open her suitcases and began unpacking her clothes, She first unloaded the little necessities, such as her toothbrush, and hairbrush, and then she next started unloading her tops. She started from the top drawer and worked her way down. All her tops took up three drawers, while her pants and shorts filled up the last two. With no other drawers to place her underwear, she simply sat them on top of her pants.

After putting away her clothes, Blossom made her way over to the bookshelf to see what kind of books she had to choose from. Her eyes first landed on the thickest book of the bunch, which she came to realize was a book consisting of all of Shakespeare's works. Blossom also noticed several books by Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, and she also spotted books on American History, astronomy, and World History. Blossom was positive there probably wasn't a thing in any one of those books that she didn't already know, but it was something to read at least.

Since she hadn't had much sleep the previous night, Blossom saw it fit to lay down for a while and hopefully gain some of the sleep she had lost. It was only fifteen after nine, and it would be a while before Mojo would bring her her lunch.

0ooooooo0

The feel of a loving embrace was something anyone would cherish and desire. Blossom Utonium was lucky to have such a treasure; the riches of a family that had so much to offer. She was so blessed to have them in her life, always looking out for her and making her feel like she was worth something. She smiled blissfully into the pillow as their faces graced her dreams. And that's all they were now - dreams.

Opening her eyes, Blossom looked around in confusion. This was not her room. Where was she? Where were her sisters? She was about to scream as she rose out of bed with a start, but then it all came back to her: the words that had been exchanged, the anger, the tears, the pain she had brought to her loved ones, it all came back. This would be her life for four years. No one to hug her and tell her they loved her, no one to kiss her goodnight; it was all gone now. Burying her face in her face in her hands, she began to cry, unable to sustain it any longer.

"You have only been here for three and a half hours and you're already blubbering?"

Blossom looked up in alarm. She hadn't even heard the door open, but there stood Mojo, a plate in his hand which sported what looked to be a sandwich and chips. Blossom turned away from him, wiping her eyes.

"You better learn to suck it up, Blossom. After all, you agreed to this, and you are going to be here for four years."

"I'll get used to it, okay?!" Blossom shouted, not bothering to turn around and face Mojo as she spoke. She angrily wiped her eyes as more tears began welling up. "It's just going to take some time! How easy do you think this is for me?"

Mojo bent down and placed the plate beside Blossom. He studied her without the slightest ounce of pity. "Despite what I said earlier, I think this may actually be a difficult, but rewarding test for you. Try looking at it like that."

"A test? How is this a test?"

"First rule to tests - you have to figure it out on your own."

Mojo turned to leave again. "Dinner will be at five o' clock," he said as he shut the door behind him, leaving Blossom alone once more.

As her hunger slowly started to catch up with her, Blossom picked up the sandwich and bit into it eagerly, realizing instantly that it was ham and turkey. "A test?" she questioned as she swallowed her first bite of sandwich. "A test on what? My sanity?"

_It's too early to tell_ said the voice.

0ooooooo0

Mojo leaned back into the comfort of his couch as he flipped through the channels of the TV in boredom, trying desperately to find something to watch. Normally he hated television, mainly due to the fact that the Powerpuff Girls always 'graced' the screen and it always made him sick, but seeing as how he wouldn't be committing any crimes for a while, he knew he was going to have to find a hobby of some sort. Well, at least now he had more time for his model ship building, which was something he never got to do very often.

Perhaps a new job was in order? But the thought of that made Mojo cringe. He tried his luck once at a clothing store, hoping to bring in a little extra money that wouldn't involve going to jail afterwards, and only one week into the job he got fired for getting frustrated with a cocky customer and throwing the cash register at him. No, being a salesclerk wasn't exactly his thing. If he wanted to work a job, it would have to be something he would actually enjoy doing. But there weren't exactly a lot of things he liked doing that didn't get him thrown in jail, but he had to think of something. He couldn't hang around here for four years if he wouldn't be able to commit any crimes.

Mojo then thought of his profession in Japanese cooking. He had been doing it for years, he figured it was time to put it to better use. But how was he supposed to go anywhere for long periods of time when he had a prisoner to supervise? Well, it was not as if she could go anywhere when she was locked up. But he had to do something. If he was forced to stay cooped up all the time he'd go absolutely insane.

0ooooooo0

Putting up with Blossom for the last twenty-four hours had not been as unbearable as he had thought. She stayed quiet most of the time, though she did manage to throw in a few death glares here and there, but it actually amused him more than anything. _She better get used to this _he kept thinking to himself.

That night, Mojo occupied his time by gathering up all his old plans and blueprints for new devices that he had been working on right up to the point where he was sent to prison. He knew at the moment there was no way he'd be able to actually commit any crimes with Blossom here, but he felt that maybe a four year gap would give him the opportunity to come up with something brilliant.

Of course when the phone rang, interrupting his concentration, Mojo vaguely wondered if he was meant to be the one to take over the world. Because these interruptions certainly weren't getting him there.

"Yes, this is the residence of Mojo Jojo, which means the person you are speaking to is Mojo Jojo, because as this is the residence of Mojo Jojo, then it would only make sense that the person who answers the phone would be Mojo Jojo, which is me."

There was a short silence, followed by a heavy sigh. _"Yes, thank you for that, Mojo," _came the Professor's somewhat angry, and highly annoyed response.

"Ah, Professor Utonium, what an unpleasant surprise."

__

"Shut up, Mojo. I called to tell you I sorted it out with Blossom's teachers. It took me forever but I convinced them I wanted Blossom at home to do her schoolwork. Just get some paper and a pencil and write this down."

Still holding the cordless phone to his ear, Mojo shuffled around the observatory for something to write on. "What a lovely mood you're in tonight, Professor," Mojo teased.

_"You better not try to hurt her. I mean it," _came the Professor's deadly threat. Mojo could very well sense the murder in his voice. Sure, he recalled the Professor being threatening before, but never quite like this.

"Don't worry," Mojo responded coolly, "I want her to suffer first." The chimp smirked at the sound of the Professor's murderous growl.

__

"If I find out you've done anything to her. I'll kill you. I swear I will."

Mojo was silent as he searched for a pencil. The threat had actually almost frightened him.

"Alright. I have the paper and writing utensil."

0ooooooo0

__

The following morning…

Blossom awoke to what sounded like some sort of equipment being moved around in her room. Still half asleep, she slowly sat up, biting back a yawn. Though her eyes were still blurry with sleep, she could still make out Mojo on the other side of the room, setting up what looked to be a computer.

"Mojo…? Ugh…what time is it?"

"Eight thirty," Mojo replied, not turning his attention away from the computer.

"Don't you think it's a bit early to be doing that?"

"No."

"Oh, well then I stand corrected," Blossom retorted, rolling her eyes.

"The Professor contacted me yesterday and informed me that he talked the situation over with your teachers at school. So you will be doing your schoolwork through computer from now on." Mojo turned to face Blossom, placing a hand on the monitor. "But it is to be used for educational purposes only, understood?"

"Yes, I know."

Mojo revealed a small piece of paper from his pocket. "Here are the e-mail addresses that are associated with your teaching instructors, as well as the address to the school's website and instructions on how to find the assignments given out by the teachers," he stated as he placed the paper down on the desk beside the keyboard. "Now then, there is something else we need to discuss. Given the fact that I will be on a criminal hiatus for approximately four years, I am in need of something to pass the time, so yesterday I put in an application at a Japanese restaurant downtown."

"How can you work a job if you have me to worry about?"

"I will only be working part time, which is to say, I will be working under the amount of hours which qualifies as full time, which is thirty-two hours, and therefore since I will not be working said amount of hours I will only be working part time. Preferably, four days a week, which is what I wrote down on the application. So, my plan would be to work from the early morning into the early afternoon, so that means I would wake you in the morning before I leave, serve you breakfast and let you use the bathroom."

Blossom shrugged. "I guess that works. I just can't picture you working a job. Blowing stuff up has always been your job."

"And I am quite a professional," said Mojo proudly, puffing out his chest to demonstrate his confidence. "But I have other professions as well, and they have been neglected, so now that I have the time, I am going to focus my attention on them."

Blossom's lips curled into a devious smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to change your ways."

"That is ridiculous!" Mojo shouted, raising a fist in the air. "I am simply putting my other talents to better use until I go back to crime!"

"Maybe so, but your cooking stinks, remember?"

Mojo was seething at that point, and Blossom tried as hard as she could to sustain her laughter.

"You just do not appreciate quality food! You were still young then! Your taste buds had not acquired a taste for such sophisticated and artistic dishes yet! There is nothing wrong with how I cook! My cooking techniques are flawless! Which is to say they are without error and are therefore perfect! And I shall prove it to you when I get that job!!"

Blossom leaned back into the pillows. "That is, _if _you get the job."

"ARGH! You accused little Powerpuff brat! I _will _get that job! And the only one who shall be laughing will be me!"

Mojo suddenly stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him in fury, causing Blossom to wince. "Good grief, I'm surprised he didn't leave any cracks in the walls." She settled back down under the covers, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep. She smiled into the pillow before closing her eye. "He's so easy to annoy."

0ooooooo0

Bubbles looked towards the empty desk longingly. It wasn't the same without having her sister around, always telling her to make sure she had all her assignments done, giving her advice on how to approach a guy she liked. She just missed seeing her smiling face every day, talking to her at lunch, just doing whatever. She wasn't afraid to show her despair, but Buttercup had become a recluse, which was not at all surprising. That had always been Buttercup's way. Whenever something extremely serious was going on, she preferred to shut the door and not let anyone in.

Bubbles suddenly felt Mary lean over her shoulder. "Where's Blossom at? She hasn't been in for over a week."

"Oh…umm…" Bubbles couldn't possibly tell her the truth, but what excuse could she possibly offer that would seem plausible?

"She's umm…being home schooled now."

"Blossom? Being home schooled? Why? Usually kids who are having difficulties in school are home schooled."

"Yeah, I know…but…it was the Professor's idea. I mean, she's always gotten straight As and well…he thought she wasn't being challenged. So she's being taught more advanced stuff at home."

"Couldn't they have easily bumped her up a grade or two?" Mary questioned, still not understanding Bubbles' answer.

"Well, I don't really know. The Professor just thought it'd be better if she was home schooled."

Bubbles was thankful when she heard the three thirty bell ring. She wasted no time in grabbing her things and quickly scurrying out the door before Mary could utter another word. This wasn't good. People were already starting to ask questions. The truth was bound to slip out at some point.

Bubbles spotted Buttercup making her way out of her seventh period class and she quickly pushed her way through the crowd of people to get to her while she still had sight of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked once she reached her.

"No, I'm not okay! You know, I say we go over to Mojo's place right now, beat the crap out of him and drag Blossom back home," said Buttercup, trying to keep her voice low in case any of their friends were within their range.

"Buttercup, this was Blossom's idea, not Mojo's. We need to learn to get along without her from now on. I don't like it anymore than you do, but this is Blossom's choice."

"Big deal," Buttercup muttered as she yanked her locker open. "She just doesn't have her head on straight, and look what it's doing to the Professor. He hasn't worked down in his lab for days, he hardly talks….It's killing him."

"I know." Bubbles leaned her head against the lockers. "But we have to respect Blossom's wishes."

"To hell with Blossom's wishes!"

"Buttercup, don't cuss. This is just going to take some getting used to. I already told you that. I'm sure Blossom will call us sometime this week and then we can see how she's doing."

"Well, if I find out that Mojo laid one hand on her, I'll tear him apart," Buttercup spat before slamming her locker shut.

"I know you will, Buttercup."

Buttercup's expression changed dramatically in the course of three seconds. She leaned her forehead against the lockers, her attention focused on the floor. "Our fifteenth birthday is coming up in two weeks. We only get one visit a month, and we can't blow it before our birthday, so we'll have to visit her the day of our birthday."

Bubbles nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a good idea. We'll need to get her a cake, too! A big, chocolate cake with pink icing!"

Buttercup nodded. "Sounds good."

TBC…

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, for the very few who are actually reading this story, I hate to piss you all off, but I think I'm going to stop updates for a while. I know, I promised I would update every ten days, but I have not been working on this story between updates like I said I would. Until I get at least another three thousand more words into this story, there won't be another update. Plus, I'm just not getting a lot of feedback for this story anyway, but that's not the main reason for not updating.

It probably won't be that long. I don't think it'll be July 30th as it was planned, but I don't think it'll be too long after that. I know it won't be months. So just sit tight. The next update will come.


	5. Visiting Hours

__

Chapter V

****

Visiting Hours

It was already four o' clock. Blossom figured her sisters were home from school by now. She really did need to ask one of them to bring over a box of tampons before she completely forgot about it. She knew Mojo certainly wasn't going to aid her in that department. He made that perfectly clear.

"Well, I hope Mojo lets me have my first phone call," she muttered as she made her way towards the door. "Mojo!" she called, knocking on the door. "Mojo, where are you?!" She knocked two more times. "MOJO!!"

"WHAT?!" Mojo screamed as he practically ripped the door off its hinges.

"Umm…can I have a phone call?"

"Is that your reason for disturbing me?" His toned had softened just a tad, but he still looked furious.

"I need to call home to one of my sisters. I need to see if they'll bring me…well, you know…the feminine product."

Mojo instantly realized what she meant."Oh. Very well then, make it quick. I am expecting a phone call." Mojo stepped aside and allowed Blossom to exit the room.

"A phone call? From who?"

"That is none of your concern," Mojo snapped defensively, picking up the phone and forcing it into Blossom's hands.

"Is it about that job? Mojo, you really need to learn patience. You just put in that application yesterday. It could take weeks before they contact you. Maybe even months."

Mojo folded his arms. "I should not have to deal with the inconvenience of waiting; they said they were hiring."

"Well, that may be so, but that doesn't mean you're going to hear from them in the next twenty-four hours. They may not be in desperate need of people. And you may not fit their criteria. They'll have to look over your application first, and who knows how many other applications they may have gotten. You'll just have to sit back, and be patient. I seriously doubt they're going to contact you in the next five minutes," Blossom said as she starting punching her phone number, ignoring Mojo's ramblings about how his application was superior to any other.

__

"Hello?"

"Bubbles?"

__

"Blossom! Oh, I'm so glad to hear from you! How have you been?! Is everything alright?! Are you - Buttercup, stop pushing me! Wait your turn! Buttercup!"

"Blossom?!"

"Hey, Buttercup."

__

"Has Mojo hurt you?"

Blossom had to smile at Buttercup's concern. Despite her normally arrogant attitude, Buttercup always seemed to be the most protective of her sisters. "I'm fine, Buttercup. Mojo hasn't laid a hand on me, okay? I promise."

__

"You're not just saying that, are you? Because if he hurt you-"

"It's okay, Buttercup. He hasn't hurt me, I promise. Listen, I need to ask a favor. Can you-"

__

"Wait, hold on, the Professor wants to talk to you."

"Blossom, are you alright?"

Okay, now this was starting to get a little aggravating. Blossom hoped this was not what she was going to have to endure every time she called home to her family. "Professor, I'm fine, really. Mojo hasn't done anything to hurt me."

__

"Well, that's what he told me on the phone. But I don't see any reason to believe a word he says."

"Well, don't worry. He hasn't done anything to hurt me, I swear." Blossom knew it'd be wise not to let the Professor know that Mojo had drained her powers, otherwise he'd have even more of a reason to be suspicious of his intentions, and also give Buttercup more reason to tell her how stupid she was. "He's actually been quite civil," she added, throwing Mojo a sideways glance and noticing him scowl at her comment. "Listen, Professor, I kind of needed to ask the girls a favor."

__

"You're sure you're alright?"

"Professor, do I sound like I'm dying to you?" Blossom responded with annoyance in her tone, though she tried to stifle a laugh. "Come on, I'm fine."

__

"Well, if you're sure. Okay them I guess I'll talk to you next time. Bubbles wants to talk to you."

"Okay. Bye, Professor."

__

"Hey, Blossom!"

"Bubbles, I need either you or Buttercup to bring me something from home."

__

"What is it?"

Blossom sighed. "I forgot to pack tampons."

_"Oh…" _Blossom rolled her eyes as the sound of Bubbles' laughter was heard through the receiver._ "Okay, we can bring them today if you want."_

"Okay, that's fine. Oh wait! Also, could you bring my book bag, too. I'll need my books in order to do my schoolwork. Also, about that research paper. Can you hand it in to Ms. Robinson next week? I put it on my desk in our bedroom."

__

"Sure, I can do that. Oh, I better say bye right now. Buttercup's wanting to talk to you again. Okay, Buttercup, hold on! Stop tugging on my shirt! Bye, Blossom!"

Blossom didn't even have a chance to say bye to her sister before Buttercup was back on the line again. _"Blossom, you're sure Mojo hasn't tried anything?"_

"Buttercup, you're my sister, and I love you, but God, get a grip already! I swear, Mojo hasn't harmed me in any way. I promise. Now, I better go ahead and go. Mojo wanted me to keep it short. I'll talk to you guys next week, okay?"

__

"Come on, Blossom, just two more minutes!"

"No, Buttercup, I really have to go. I love you all, okay?"

__

"Alright…Bye, Blossom."

"Bye."

Blossom hung up the phone with a sigh. Didn't her family think she could take care of herself? Well, there was no surprise in the Professor's concern. He would always be a worry wart. After all, he only built a gigantic, fighting robot for them to use to fight instead of fighting on their own, all because he was afraid they would hurt themselves, despite having super powers. Well, perhaps having a family that cared a little too much was better than having a family that didn't care at all.

"I take it they do not trust my intentions?" Mojo asked, smirking.

"Nope."

"As well they shouldn't." Mojo got up and walked over to Blossom, taking her by the arm. "Time to go back to your room."

"Wait…can I go to the bathroom first?"

Mojo groaned, but released Blossom's arm. "Make it quick."

0ooooooo0

__

Two weeks later…

Mojo knocked on the door to Blossom's bedroom/prison cell politely before he unlocked it and went right in. He spotted Blossom sitting on the bed, her face stuck in the World History book. "Yeah?" she asked, not bothering to turn her attention away from her reading.

"I just received a call from your family. I understand that it is your birthday tomorrow?"

Blossom suddenly lowered her book, her eyes wide with realization. "Oh my God, I can't believe I forgot."

"I have already granted them permission to visit you tomorrow afternoon."

Blossom turned to look towards her nemesis, somewhat shocked that he was allowing her family to visit so soon. "Oh…thank you."

"Yes, the sooner we get this over with, the better. One hour is all I am allowing, understood? And if they aggravate me in any way, they're out."

"Yes…I understand." Blossom noticed Mojo was about to leave, but a sudden need for someone to talk to seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Did you hear back from the restaurant yet?"

Mojo stopped before he could get all the way out the door. He glanced at Blossom for a moment and then shook his head. "I am afraid they have not contacted me. I am going out of my mind! It has been two weeks and they have yet to contact me!"

"Well, Mojo, get used to it. It may be another two weeks before you hear from them. You might not ever hear from them."

Mojo's frown deepened. "Oh, why thank you, Blossom. Your words of reassurance are something to be admired."

Blossom smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, but maybe you should try putting applications in at other restaurants…or maybe you should stop sitting by the phone like I'm sure you've been doing for the past two weeks and find something to do with your free time. I'm sure you've got other hobbies besides reeking havoc."

"Well, maybe I will!" Mojo responded irritably as he slammed the door. Blossom smiled and turned her attention back to her book. She was surprised at how much her patience for Mojo's arrogance and bitterness had grown over the course of two weeks. They had a few spats here and there, but now that she was living with him, she really didn't think much of it. She kept thinking back to Mojo's comment about this being a test, and she began wondering if it was her patience that was being tested, or perhaps it was a test to see how well she actually _could _survive without her family. After all, she knew some day the time would come when she'd want to move out and have a career besides saving people all the time, although she devoted to it. Maybe it was a test of strength. Blossom nodded suddenly, thinking that was the best answer.

Buttercup had always been considered the toughest, but Blossom figured if it had been Buttercup in her place right now, one would be dead and the other a fugitive at this point. Blossom knew this was probably the best test she could get as a leader, though her family thought it was the biggest mistake she had ever made.

"It'll make me a better leader," she reassured herself. "Once this is over I will fight better in battles, I will tolerate Buttercup more, which means less arguing and more time for strategies and solutions." She smiled, though it was faint. "Yes, this can definitely be beneficial.."

0ooooooo0

__

The next day…

The Professor handed Blossom the thin, neatly wrapped box, smiling happily as he watched her open it with excitement. "We all pitched in to get it."

"Oh wow…" Blossom pulled a beautifully decorated necklace from the box. "How did you know I wanted this?"

"How could we not?" the Professor replied as he took the necklace and secured it around Blossom's neck. "When we all went to the mall that day you couldn't take your eyes off of it."

Blossom smiled as she fingered the little flowers that decorated the thin, silver chain. "Thanks, you guys. But this thing was pretty expensive. You really didn't have to get it."

"But we wanted to," said Buttercup.

"So, what's it been like living with Mojo for over two weeks?" Bubbles asked as she sliced Blossom a piece of chocolate cake. Blossom knew it was only a matter of time before the interrogations started.

"Not as bad as I thought it'd be. I've sort of become accustomed to his attitude already."

"Ha! That's a miracle," said Buttercup.

Blossom heaved a sigh as she nodded. "Yeah…but I really miss you guys, too. How's school been going without me?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

Buttercup shook her head. "Not good. People have already been asking questions."

"What have you been telling them?" Blossom asked, fear in her voice.

"Just that you're being home schooled now."

Blossom nodded and took a bite of her cake, keeping a napkin handy incase any icing smeared around her lips. "I don't know. You probably should have told people I transferred to a private school. Is anyone buying it?"

"Well, for now. But they think it's kind of weird that someone who's pulling in straight As would need to be home schooled, but we just tell them we were able to hire someone to teach you advanced material." said Buttercup. Blossom's concern did not falter though. She hated herself for not thinking things through more carefully.

The Professor suddenly slinked an arm around her back. "You're certain Mojo hasn't tried to hurt you?" he asked for the third time since he had been there. Blossom rolled her eyes.

"Professor, please! Look at me. Do I look injured? And how could I not be certain if Mojo has hurt me or not? I think I would know for sure if he did anything to hurt me."

"Well, what I mean is, you're not lying to us, are you?"

"No, I assure you, Mojo hasn't done anything to hurt me. Now can we please talk about something else?"

"Alright, alright," the Professor sighed, trying to keep a smile, but Blossom could easily see that the man was not convinced.

"So, any crime fighting since I've been gone?"

Buttercup shrugged. "It's been a bit dead lately. The occasional bank robbery, but none of the star villains have been active. It's been so lame. I'm itching for some action here! That's what also sucks about you living here. Mojo's too busy watching over your sorry butt that now we don't get the chance to kick _his._"

"Well, I'm _not _itching for any action," Bubbles added, shaking her head firmly. "I don't want to deal with anything too serious while Blossom's not around."

Blossom sighed at the girl's concern. "Bubbles, I already told you, you can handle yourselves without me."

"I hope so."

"That's another problem, Blossom," Buttercup began. "It's one thing to convince everyone at school, but the media's been asking about you, too. When we busted these two guys for robbing the bank a couple of days ago, people were asking about you. And you know the kids at school are going to hear about it and start asking more questions. We've just been avoiding them for now, but we can't keep avoiding them forever. Blossom, what are we supposed to do about this?"

Blossom had suddenly lost her appetite and set the cake aside. "I don't know," she said hopelessly. "Maybe you should just tell everyone the truth. How bad could it be?"

"Blossom, you know how the media and press is. They love to the stretch the truth and make something out of nothing," said the Professor, his face growing a bit more stern.

"He's right."

"Well then I don't know!" Blossom shouted. "I'm sorry," she said a bit more softly. "I didn't know what kind of problems this would cause."

"I'll say," Buttercup muttered.

"Buttercup, don't," the Professor warned.

"Well, maybe it won't be so bad," said Bubbles reassuringly. "Maybe they'll understand if we tell them."

"Yeah right. The chances of Princess donating money to the children's hospital are better than that," Buttercup snapped, piling the last of her cake into her mouth.

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you. You might as well tell everyone what's really going on. There's no way you can keep it a secret forever. And then at least everyone will know and stop asking questions."

"Yeah, and then start making stupid jokes," Buttercup added.

Everyone looked up as the door suddenly opened. "Visiting hours are over," Mojo snapped.

"Let us have ten more minutes, you jerk!" yelled Buttercup, not moving from her spot on the floor.

Mojo gritted his teeth, but remained calm. "I have already allowed five extra minutes more than I should have. Now do not make me say it again."

"Fine."

"Happy birthday," said the Professor as he pulled Blossom into a hug. "I guess we'll see you next month."

"Alright. Thanks so much for the gift. I just wish I could have gotten the both of you something," said Blossom as she looked towards Buttercup and Bubbles.

"Don't worry about us," said Buttercup as she leaned in to hug Blossom as well. Bubbles joined in, while Mojo watched with growing impatience.

"Can we hurry along here before I go into convulsions?" he said.

"Alright already!" Buttercup snapped, pulling away from the embrace. She, as well as Bubbles and the Professor gathered their trash and tossed it in the garbage on the way out the door. The Professor was the last one out, who only saw it fit to give Blossom one last goodbye.

"You're sure you'll be-"

"YES!" Blossom shouted, laughter in her voice. "Trust me, Professor. I can take care of myself. Don't worry."

"Alright."

The Professor bent down and kissed Blossom on the head and then stepped out of the room to follow Bubbles and Buttercup out, leaving Blossom feeling a bit empty now that she no longer had her family to keep her company. But one month wasn't that long of a wait, it wouldn't be so bad, and she always had her phone calls home to look forward to.

Blossom's eyes wandered towards the box which the large, chocolate cake had once resided in. Noticing that there was still one piece left, she turned her attention back to Mojo, who was moving to shut the door and lock it. "Hey, Mojo?" she started as she bent down to pick up the nearly empty box. "There's one piece left. Do you want it?"

Mojo looked a bit surprised by Blossom's generous offer. "It is your birthday. Shouldn't you have the honor of the last piece?"

"Trust me, I'm full, and it's pretty rich, too. I wouldn't be able to eat it if I tried. No point in letting it go to waste."

Mojo stepped further into the room, looking over the box and trying to get a look at the dessert. "What flavor?" he asked.

"Chocolate."

Mojo's eyes instantly lit up with interest. He had always had a deep love for chocolate. Just the mere smell of it had always made his mouth water, but he tried to watch his proportions…though that cake looked pretty appetizing. He couldn't say no if he wanted to.

"Well…if you insist," he said as he reached out and took the box from Blossom's hands. "Thank you…I guess," he said with uneasiness.

0ooooooo0

Though Mojo probably should have found something better to do, for most of Blossom's family's visit he had stayed by the door, his ear pressed against it firmly. Buttercup's persistence in trying to get Blossom to change her mind and come home was quite irritating, but when the discussion of telling everyone the truth about Blossom's willing imprisonment with him came up, Mojo had begun considering the problems it may cause as well.

He pulled a clean plate from his cabinet and then opened the silverware drawer to retrieve a fork. He carefully placed the piece of cake onto the plate and then took a seat at his kitchen table, eager to eat the delectable dessert.

"Somehow I doubt the media will take the situation lightly," he said before taking his first bite of cake. It was not a very large piece, so it didn't take Mojo very long to finish, but once he _had _finished it, he instantly wished he had taken his time eating it; it was delicious.

__

Why on Earth do you wish to destroy such a kind creature who puts others before herself?

Mojo blinked. Had that voice just come from his mind? It sounded like _his _voice. For a moment he thought he was going mad, but then he suddenly remembered that the annoying little voice was called a conscience, but he didn't ever recall having one. "Excuse me?" he asked.

__

You heard me.

"She, as well as her sisters are my enemies. That is to say they are not my allies and do not fight on the same side as I. They prevent me from taking over the world."

__

You know, you made a point about Blossom picking at old scabs…but don't you think that's being a bit hypocritical?

"Oh? And why is that?" Mojo said aloud, getting agitated. "Are you trying to imply that I am picking at old scabs? Is that it?"

__

You tell me.

"I do not…wait…what am I doing? I'm arguing with myself! How is it that I can possess such thoughts anyhow?"

__

I'm your conscience, you babbling idiot. I've always tried to get through to you, but now that you have started to form somewhat of a tolerance for Blossom, I can voice my opinion since you're not on your high horse right now.

"Tolerance? That is absurd! Which is to say that statement lacks appropriate logic and therefore does not make sense! I have absolutely no tolerance for such an obnoxious little brat!"

__

Whatever you say, but I know everything.

Mojo growled.

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry I haven't updated this for a while. I wanted to add a little bit more to the story before I threw out anymore. And I'm also sorry this chapter was incredibly boring and not very long. This was just one of those nearly pointless chapters. Every story has one XD There will be some action soon though. Also, it should be known that updates from now on will no longer be scheduled I'm afraid. They will be no less than ten days, and no later than twenty, but there will not be a set date anymore. So all I can tell you is be patient for now.


	6. Truth's In, Lies are Out

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Chapter VI

****

Truth's In, Lies are Out

Blossom semiconsciously pushed the hand away that was trying to shake her awake. Her eyes slowly opened when she felt the blankets being ripped away from her. She instinctively pulled her legs up to her body and embraced herself. "Give those back," she mumbled sleepily. She quickly shielded her eyes when the lamp suddenly went on, bathing the room in light.

"Wake up," she heard a stern voice order her. Turning over, she could just barely make out Mojo looming over her, his arms folded across his chest.

"What's going on?" Blossom glanced at her alarm clock. "Mojo, it's eight thirty," she said tiredly and reached for the covers at the end of her bed. "Can't this wait? I didn't sleep well last night."

"I will allow you to sleep after I have left."

Blossom turned her attention back to the megalomaniac. "Left? For what?"

"The restaurant contacted me yesterday afternoon. They want me to come in for a job interview this morning. I should not be gone for no more than an hour but I'm letting you use the bathroom right now in case I'm gone longer than anticipated."

"Oh…well, now that you mention it, I do have to go." Blossom rolled out of bed and allowed Mojo to escort her to the bathroom. Despite Mojo's serious tone, she knew he was excited about this, though she decided not to tease him about it. But she knew that if the restaurant did give him the job, she would hear all about it once he got home.

0ooooooo0

The door opened slowly and Blossom turned her attention away from the window and looked towards Mojo, who she noted did not look pleased at all. Her face softened sympathetically. "They didn't give you the job?"

"No…I got the job," the chimp replied glumly. Blossom furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Then…why the long face?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.

"They made me a busboy. They told me since I didn't have a degree, I would have to work my way up to chef."

"Oh. Well, that sounds reasonable."

"Reasonable?!" Mojo shouted. "Just because I did not go to college to learn my abilities does not mean I do not possess the knowledge in the arts of Japanese cooking! I read many books, observed master chefs on television, and practiced and practiced until I perfected my skills! It was a tiring process, but I still learned! I deserve to be a chef!"

"And you still can be," Blossom tried to reason. "It's not like they said you _couldn't _be a chef, and you should really be grateful, Mojo. I'm surprised they didn't tell you you'd have to attend a culinary school before they would consider you."

"Well, actually, they did. But I insisted that they at least let me demonstrate my skills."

"Well, obviously they were impressed, and you took the job, so obviously you want to be a chef."

Mojo nodded.

"Well, you'll get there. Just give it some time."

Blossom sighed, realizing that Mojo didn't look at all persuaded by her words of reassurance. Not that she could blame him. She figured she would have probably reacted the same if he she had been turned down the position she so greatly desired. Who wouldn't?

"Well, I just came in here to inform you that I _did _get a job, even if it is not the one which I long for. I am to work until eight in the morning to one thirty in the afternoon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. It is possible that those hours could alter, but they promised I would always be working the same amount of hours. So, unless anything changes, I will wake you up at seven thirty every morning, serve you breakfast and allow you to use the bathroom. Is that clear?"

"Yes, it's fine. Normally I'm an early riser so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Good." Mojo turned and made his way towards the door. "Lunch will be ready in two hours. You will eat what I give you."

Blossom brought her attention back to her book, mentally asking herself, _'Did I really just give him a pep talk?'_

0ooooooo0

__

One month later…

Blossom stepped into the shower, eager to relax herself with the soft beatings of the water against her entire body. She leaned her head back a little, allowing the water to wet the top of her head, and cascade down her face. She wished she could turn the tap just a little bit more to the left, but Mojo had warned her to _not _use all his hot water, to which she rolled her eyes. She always loved taking hot showers, but getting grief from Mojo was no different than what she got at home. Hell, at home it was even worse since she had to share the bathroom with both her sisters, who also had a an obsession with using up all the hot water for themselves.

Sighing, Blossom reached for the bottle of shampoo resting in the shower caddy. Mojo had told her not to stay in the shower long. He hadn't specified how long exactly, but she figured he probably didn't want her in there no longer than ten minutes, which didn't give her long to thoroughly shampoo and condition her hair, which she had a lot of.

She lathered the shampoo into her hands and quickly reached up and started rubbing it into her scalp. She stepped out of the flow of the shower momentarily so that the shampoo could not rinse out of her hair before she had a chance to properly wash it.

Despite Mojo's occasional grouchy manner, he had been surprisingly civil over the past few weeks. Blossom had actually started to relax as time progressed. It was actually quite a relief, too. The fear of living with the megalomaniac and going to sleep at night with him in the next room had always plagued her, but the fact that he hadn't even laid a hand on her, nor hardly barked an insult was quite a shock. She thought for sure he would be heavily rubbing her face in the fact that she was defenseless against him and was at his mercy.

After about fifteen minutes, Blossom turned off the shower and reached for a towel. She tried to sop up as much water from her long hair as possible. Unfortunately, she had to let it air dry since Mojo did not own a hairdryer, but she figured he probably wouldn't let her use it anyway even if he did have one. But her hair always ended up looking rather scraggly and very frizzy when she let it air dry. She inwardly laughed as she tried to picture Bubbles going just one night without a hairdryer, as the blonde was always worried about what her hair looked like, whether she was out in public or even alone at home. Buttercup's hair, however, saw a brush maybe once a day.

Blossom ran the towel down her arms, legs, and then reached around to dry her back. After fully dressing herself, she wiped the steam off the mirror and began running a comb through her tangled hair.

The redhead jumped when she heard the doorknob suddenly rattle rather violently. There was then a loud knock at the door, followed by an angry "I order you to open this door!"

Sighing, Blossom turned the lock and allowed Mojo to enter the bathroom. "How dare you lock me out!" he shouted, waving some of the lingering steam out of his face.

"Oh, imagine that, a person locking the door while they're in the shower. Geez, what was I thinking?" Blossom muttered as she turned her attention to her hair again.

"Don't get cute," Mojo snapped.

"Mojo, I could have been naked! What if I _had _left the door unlocked? Obviously you don't have the common courtesy to even ask if I was dressed!"

Mojo found himself blushing and he quickly brought his fist to his mouth, clearing his throat. "Well…I came to inform you that tonight I will be engaging in a poker game with a few of the other villains. Therefore I do not want to hear a peep out of you tonight."

"What time?"

"None of your concern!"

"Good grief, Mojo, get the banana out of your butt. It was just a question."

Mojo held back a retort, then replied with "Eight o' clock," as calmly as he could. Blossom nodded, then continued with her hair.

0ooooooo0

Him brought his gaze away from his hand over to Fuzzy, who didn't look the least bit confident in his hand.

"What do you have, Fuzzy? Come on, might as well."

"Naw, I fold," the pink hillbilly responded as he laid his cards down on the table.

Him snorted. "Wimp."

"My hand ain't good!"

"That is why it's called gambling, Fuzzy. You need to learn to take chances every now and then," Him stated, smiling with delight as he eyed his hand with confidence. He looked towards Seudsa, who didn't look too confident in her hand either. "Well, Sedusa? Are you feeling lucky tonight?"

The woman shot a glare towards the villain before putting her cards down on the table and saying, "I fold, too."

"Bunch of pussies," Him mumbled, then glanced at Mojo. "Well, Mojo, I don't see a drop of sweat on your face. I take it you're feeling pretty confident in your hand?"

Mojo raised an eyebrow, and then pushed over half of his chips towards the central pot. Him narrowed his eyes at this. "Oh, feeling _very _confident, are we? Trying to psych me out?"

Mojo only smiled.

"Well then…I'll raise that." Him pushed a handful of his chips towards the central pot, and Mojo responded by pushing five more chips into the pot, staring Him down with high confidence. Him glanced at his hand again, his confidence beginning to falter, but he still held a convincing smile. He glanced towards Fuzzy, who was watching the exchange with high interest, and then turned back to Mojo, who was now leaning back in his seat, waiting patiently for Him to make his move.

He decided to test the chimp's confidence further and pushed most of what was left of his chips into the pot. He leaned back and waited for Mojo's next move, figuring this time the chimp was sure to back down, but he was surprised when Mojo pushed all he had into the pot. Him did the same.

"Alright, only one of us can win," said Him as he leaned in, eyeballing the chimp. "Full house!" he shouted, slamming his cards down onto the table and rattling the central pot. Sedusa and Fuzzy quickly averted their gaze to the megalomaniac, whose grin did not fall. Seeing this, Him's confidence plummeted.

"Fuzzy, answer me a question," Mojo began, smiling gleefully at his hand. "What do you do after you use the bathroom?"

Him suddenly slumped down into his chair, already knowing Mojo's hand.

"Light a match," the hillbilly responded, earning a rather horrified glance from Mojo and causing Sedusa to smack her forehead.

"He means flush, Fuzzy," muttered Him, pinching his nose with his claw.

"Muahahaha! Not just any flush!" Mojo stated, slamming his cards down onto the table for all to see. "A _straight_ flush! Ha! Come to Papa," he said happily as he reached for the pot, earning more annoyance from Him, though he still managed to pitch a smirk.

"Not bad, Monkey Boy. Ever consider Vegas?"

Mojo snorted. "Funny."

Him sat back in his seat and watched as Mojo prepared the cards for a new game. "So, did you consider my offer?" he asked as he reached for his glass of wine.

"What offer?"

Him rolled his eyes. "You know, for someone with such a large brain you sure are forgetful. Remember when we talked on the phone? I had mentioned devising a plan where you would have the pleasure of destroying Blossom, and then I'd take out her sisters easily. After all, whenever you rant and rave about those brats, your insults always tend to lean towards Blossom. And let's not forget she made sure you were sent to prison for that murder."

Mojo brought his gaze away from the demon and back to the cards. "Oh, that…I did not think you were serious."

"Why wouldn't I be?!"

"What y'all talkin' 'bout?" asked Fuzzy.

"Mojo's peeved at Blossom because she's pretty much single-handedly responsible for putting him behind bars for that murder four years ago. But it turns out someone else killed those people."

"That must have really gotten _your _fur in a knot," Sedusa chimed in, smirking slightly. Him waited patiently for a reply, but it seemed as though Mojo was purposely ignoring him.

"Well, what do you think?" Him tried again, getting impatient.

Mojo looked up at him. "Well, as a matter of fact, I-"

_Don't you dare tell them about Blossom being your prisoner! _his conscience shot at him, forcing him to stop speaking mid-sentence. He inwardly rolled his eyes, not wanting to argue with himself, as it was not the best time.

_'Why shouldn't I?' _he mentally asked the annoying little voice.

__

Because, if they know her sisters are vulnerable at the moment, then they'll seize the opportunity to destroy them!

'And…why is that a bad thing? Personally, I'd like that. I'd like to destroy them all, but hey, at least I'll have the pleasure of killing one of them; the one I despise the most, in fact.'

Why are you such a jerk?!

'Why are YOU so annoying?! Besides, whether I tell them or not, they are going to figure it out eventually anyway!'

Him raised an eyebrow. "Umm…Mojo? 'As a matter of fact' what?"

Mojo shook himself out of his thoughts, actually forgetting what he had started to say. "Oh…ugh…well…'I did consider your offer' is what I was going to say."

"And…?"

Mojo tapped the edge of the table with his fingers nervously, feeling rather boxed in. "And…I decline. That is to say I refuse your offer as I do not have any interest in it."

Him's jaw nearly hit the floor. "You can't be serious. I thought you'd be steaming for revenge, especially considering you just wasted away in prison for four years."

Mojo fidgeted in his seat as he desperately searched himself for a logical excuse, but was there any excuse for not wanting to destroy the Powerpuff Girls? He hardly believed "Because my conscience told me to" would hold up against Him. Even he knew Mojo was probably the one villain in Townsville who wanted to see the girls fall the most.

"Well, it's just that…well I have a job now," he finally said. "I just…do not have time to perfectly construct any sort of strategy to defeat them."

Him blinked. "You? Working a job? You're kidding, right?"

Mojo slammed his fists down onto the table angrily. "No, I am most certainly not kidding! Is that so hard to believe?! I am working as a hibachi chef!" he said proudly, deliberately leaving out the fact that he was only starting out as a busboy. "And what about you? Did you not once work at the Otto Time diner? If you of all people can work a job, then so can I!"

Him shrugged. "Yes, true. But big deal. You can still devise some sinister plot while you're not working, can't you?"

He just wasn't going to drop this. Mojo could already feel beads of sweat dotting his forehead. "I just…I…I suppose spending four years in prison has drained me…left me rather unenthused," he said. Him still didn't look convinced.

"Drained you? I thought it would have fueled your desire for revenge even more."

Mojo sighed, falling into his seat. "Can we please just drop this and start the game already? We are here to play poker!" Did he really just listen to his conscience?

Him glanced at Fuzzy who only shrugged, and then at Sedusa, who did the same. The demon shrugged himself before he let the discussion go and started the game with his fellow villains.

0ooooooo0

__

One month later…

Mojo opened the door and allowed the two Puffs to enter Blossom's bedroom/prison cell, mimicking Buttercup's scowl that was sent his way as she passed.

"Thanks a lot, Mojerk," Buttercup quipped.

Mojo glared daggers into the green Puff's back before saying very sternly, "One hour," and then slamming the door, giving the sisters their peace.

Blossom sighed as her two sisters sat down on the bed in front of her. Setting her History book aside, she tried to offer a warming smile at their presence. "Buttercup, must you always try his patience?"

"Yeah, it's fun. But forget about that, we came here to show you something."

"Where's the Professor?" Blossom asked, ignoring Buttercup's statement.

"He was asked to speak at a science convention today. He told us to tell you that he was sorry he couldn't see you but hopes you're doing well," said Bubbles.

"Oh…okay. Well, tell him I'm doing fine."

Buttercup quickly tried to readdress her earlier statement. "Look, Blossom. We tried to keep a blanket over you being Mojo's prisoner for a while but…eventually we broke down and told the truth after people kept pestering us about you."

"And…?" Blossom asked nervously. Buttercup sighed before tossing a magazine down before her sister.

"And this," she said. "Bubbles and I stopped at a convenient store to get a couple of sodas and we saw a bunch of them sitting in the magazine racks."

Blossom picked up the flimsy magazine in astonishment as her eyes came to rest upon the boldfaced lie on the front page:

__

"POWERPUFF GONE BAD?"

"I can't believe this," she whispered, but she had to remind herself that she really shouldn't have been surprised. This was something that had been bound to happen.

"I told you!" Buttercup shouted. "I told you they'd start stirring up shit!"

"Buttercup, language," Blossom warned without taking her eyes off the dreaded magazine.

"Read the article on page nine," said Bubbles.

Blossom slowly opened up the magazine, already dreading what she was about to read. She knew that whatever it was, it was just going to be one big paragraph of garbage.

**_POWERPUFF GONE BAD?_**

_Many believe that the beloved Powerpuff Girl, Blossom Utonium may be in cahoots with the well-known dastardly doer of evil, Mojo Jojo. It has recently become known that Blossom Utonium had dropped out of school coincidently around the time Mojo was released from prison after being falsely accused of murdering the Greene family four years ago. But soon enough, it didn't seem like a coincidence anymore. Now it is believed that as a means of revenge Mojo may have possibly used some form of mind control in order to persuade Blossom into joining forces with him. She is now living inside the observatory with the insane chimpanzee and the fear of what may become of the city now that we no longer have the brave, intelligent leader guiding and aiding our heroines is strong. This is one of the city's greatest fears in the making. How would we be able to fair with two evil geniuses destroying our beloved town?_

Blossom suddenly had the urge to rip out the page and shred it into a million pieces. Heck, she even had half a mind to find who was responsible for the article and give them a piece of her mind…with her fist. She didn't understand how people got away with writing such trash every single day. How did these people sleep at night?

"How can they get away with this garbage?" Blossom questioned. "None of it's true! I knew these people stretched the truth a little when covering their stories but…I didn't think they were allowed to completely _mangle _it."

"I know," Buttercup sighed. "And already the kids at school have been on our case about it, and even some of our teachers have been asking us about it. It's a nightmare! I'm just glad school's almost over with."

"I really wouldn't worry about it, Blossom," Bubbles reassured, offering her another smile. "You know the truth, and we know the truth so don't let it get to you."

"But all our friends…"

"Well, we told most of our friends at school, and Kim, Mary and Robin seem to believe us, but Mitch doesn't seem too sure. But you know how Mitch is," said Buttercup. "That dipstick believes any kind of rumor he hears, and he takes a personal interest in helping to spread them, too. Makes me wonder why I'm still friends with the guy."

"I'm really sorry," Blossom said, wondering how many times she was going to say that to her family in the next four years.

"It's alright," Bubbles quickly cut in before Buttercup could retort with a "You should be." She pulled her sister into a hug, patting her shoulder. "Hopefully this will blow over soon. Try not to worry about it. Why don't we talk about something else now?"

0ooooooo0

Mojo stepped into the room once both of Blossom's sisters had left the observatory. "What is that?" he asked, nodding towards the magazine. Blossom picked it up and tossed it to him.

"Page nine," she stated simply, averting her gaze to the window while Mojo opened the magazine to the correct page. When she heard laughter she whipped her head around to face the primate, who was indeed laughing as he read. "You think it's funny?"

Mojo continued to chuckle. "Mind control?" he questioned, shaking his head. "If these people are this concerned about other people's lives then there must be something very important missing from theirs." He laughed again. "Mind control might have made sense about eight years ago." Mojo glanced up from the magazine to meet Blossom's gaze. "You really aren't going to let this nonsense bother you, are you?"

"Well…"

"Just forget it." Mojo tossed the magazine back to Blossom, who caught it easily. "I am certain this will blow over with time. Let the city indulge in their own stupidity. It will not last. Soon something else will grab their attention and they'll forget all about this."

"I hope so."

0ooooooo0

__

One week later…

Bubbles lazily pulled herself to her feet when she heard the three thirty bell rang, casting a rather sad glance towards Blossom's empty chair. She secured one strap of her book bag onto her shoulder but didn't bother with the other one. Gathering her book and notebook, she slowly dragged herself towards the door.

"Bubbles?"

Bubbles slowly came to a halt, just before reaching the door leading to her freedom. "Yes, sir?" She nervously turned to her attention to her teacher, who had been eyeing her with concern for the past few weeks, unknown to her.

"Is everything alright? I mean…not just with you but with your sister?"

"Buttercup or Blossom?"

"Well…Blossom."

"Mr. Stoke, please don't give us a hard time about this. I'm sure you read that bogus article in that magazine. We told the reporters the truth about what was going on with Blossom and those people from the magazine just completely switched it around!"

"I know, I know. But…she _is _living with Mojo, isn't she?"

"Yes, but not for those reasons." Bubbles rubbed her arm nervously. Should she really say what was going on? Given the circumstances, she really didn't feel like she had much choice. "She was just feeling guilty about what happened to him and well…she thought the only way to show how sorry she was was to be his prisoner. We tried to talk her out of it but…once she makes up her mind about something there's nothing we can do to change it."

"Well, I had a feeling something was bothering her. I just didn't know it was that. Well, next time you see her just tell her I miss having her in class."

Bubbles nodded. "I will." She turned and made her way out into the hall, hardly acknowledging the people who continuously bumped into her, nor the fact that Buttercup suddenly appeared through the crowd and came to walk beside her.

"Hard day?" she asked. Bubbles nodded.

"Same old thing. People just won't drop the rumors."

"Hey, I hear your sister's sleeping with the monkey!" a senior shouted. His cronies started busting a gut at the crude remark, while Bubbles and Buttercup's faces grew red, both for different reasons.

"Come on, Bubbles, let's hurry up and go home."

The two pushed their way through the students, ignoring the whispers and many pairs of eyes that were following them out the door. Before anyone had a chance to make another obnoxious jeer, the two Puffs were already in the sky and making their way home, the worst behind them for the time being.

"Moron," Buttercup grumbled. "Now the whole school is making up crap. I hope Blossom's happy!"

"Don't blame Blossom for this. You know it's not her fault."

"Then whose fault is it?!" Buttercup shot back.

"It's not Blossom's fault that those people wrote those lies! And it's not Blossom's fault the kids at school are fanning the flames!"

"Whatever."

Buttercup's hand flew to her pants' pocket when she felt the vibration of her cell phone. Looking at the ID, she saw with alarm that it was the Mayor. She flipped the phone open and mashed the green button. "Yes, Mayor?"

__

"Buttercup, Princess is robbing Townsville Bank! You-"

"We're on it, Mayor!" Buttercup responded before the old man had a chance to finish his sentence. "Let's go, Bubbles! Princess is robbing the bank and I'm itching to kick someone's butt today!"

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **I would like to apologize for skipping through several months in this chapter, but you all know I can't possibly go through every detail of what happens between Blossom and Mojo every day for four years, otherwise this story will go on forever and ever. So there will be times when I have to skip a week or two, or even a month or two.

**Next Chapter: **A Visit From Princess

Oh, and **sketrixs**, you're a close-minded loser! 8D


	7. A Visit from Princess

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Chapter VII

****

A Visit from Princess

Princess ran out through the front doors in a haste, a full bag of cash in her grasp. The sounds of the sirens from the distant police cars could be heard, but this hardly mattered to the teenage villain. Those stupid Poopoo Puffs would be here soon, or as she still liked to call them. Well, two of them at least. Firing up her jetpack, she took to the sky, her destination being one of her many hideouts she had scattered out all throughout the country.

She hadn't even seen it coming, but all of a sudden she felt a heavy weight plow into her, causing the bag of cash she had been carrying to slip from her hand. She flipped through the air a few times before she was able to regain herself and register what had happened. Her eyes locked with Buttercup's, who was hovering in the air a few feet ahead of her. "My, thought a plane had hit me," the snobby teen said as she dusted her shoulder off, though there was no dirt to be discarded.

Bubbles appeared next to her sister, who had flown off to catch the stolen cash. "You know, I'm amazed at you," Buttercup began, cocking her head a little. "You have all the money in the world and yet you still have the urge to rob the bank. I don't get it."

Princess shrugged. "It's fun. And I get a special enjoyment out of watching people submit to me, knowing what I can do to them."

"Well, it's been a while since I've had the pleasure of beating your sorry butt." Within a second Buttercup charged Princess first, but the redhead was quick to dodge her second tackle. Just as the green-clad Puff turned around she was knocked back a few feet after Princess delivered a very impressive blow to her left temple.

"You need to be a little quicker," said Princess, folding her arms behind her head and pretending to kick back. Buttercup charged again, trying to aim mainly for Princess's abdomen and hoping to knock the wind out of her, but the teen's speed was incredible. But luckily Bubbles swooped in while the rich teen's attention was focused on Buttercup and kneed her in the small of her back. The force of the blow caused her to arch back, and Buttercup quickly seized the opportunity and threw a punch to her stomach. The redhead bit back the pain and held up her hands, which were now ignited with her blasters. She fired them both simultaneously, each one striking the two Puffs and sending them hurtling to the awaiting asphalt below. The bag of cash that Bubbles had been had been torn open in the blast, and the dozens of hundred dollar bills fluttered to the ground after the girls, some of them on fire.

Princess smirked before she took off after the two girls. Once she was able to catch up to them she threw each of the two teens a very painful blow right before they hit the ground, creating two large craters where they had landed. Princess went back and forth between the two, punching and kicking, punching and kicking, making sure to keep her opponents down for the count. The two Puffs were too dazed from the blasters to ascertain what was going on at that moment, though they still felt Princess's painful kicks and punches. They just couldn't raise a hand to defend themselves, however.

The redhead floated out of the crater, glancing at the tattered money that was scattered amongst the asphalt. "You know, it's just not the same if I don't get to beat up Blossom," the teen said to herself with a smirk, twirling a strand of her red hair. "I think I'll go pay her a visit," she said and then quickly flew off without a moment's thought.

0ooooooo0

Mojo dropped his newspaper when he heard the startling sound of someone busting through his roof. "What is the meaning of thi-Princess!" Mojo jumped to his feet, alarmed by the rich teen's presence. He looked towards the hole in his roof and then the debris on his floor, hating the fact that he would later have a mess to clean up.

"I know, don't you feel honored to have me in your house?"

Princess looked around for a moment. "Alright, where did you stash her? I heard Blossom's living with you now, as hard as that is to believe."

"That is none of your concern! Now vacate the premises immediately!"

"Pipe down, Monkey Boy. I just beat that brat's sisters to a pulp, but I'm just warming up! It'll be even better if I can best Leader Girl! Now where is she?"

"I do not think I could make myself more clear! Leave this place NOW!"

"Oh shut up!" Princess snapped before knocking Mojo off his feet with a very painful blow to the jaw. "I'll find her myself."

It didn't take long. After all, there weren't many rooms for Princess to search, and when she happened upon the correct room, she became very pleased to find Blossom up on her feet in an instant, looking quite shocked to say the least.

"There you are," said Princess as she took two threatening steps into the room. "You know, I don't see you at school anymore. Quite a shame really. It's fun ridiculing your sisters but it's just not the same when you're not around. When I found out you were living with Mojo I was very surprised. I should have known you two would hook up though. I mean, you're both a couple of self-centered know-it-alls. Sounds like the perfect match."

Self-centered? Snobbish _and _a hypocrite.

"What are you talking about, Princess? I agreed to be Mojo's prisoner for four years to make up for his four years in prison."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Since I just pulverized your pathetic sisters, I thought you'd be easy to pick off, too."

"What?!" Blossom shouted, taking a step back.

"That's right, Leader Girl. Your sisters were easy to take down since they didn't have you around!"

Blossom bit her bottom lip in fear. This wasn't good. Without her powers she was completely defenseless against Princess's weapons. Where the heck was Mojo?

"Princess, I am not going to tell you again! If you do not leave at once, I shall be forced to take drastic measures! Which is to say that if you do not relocate yourself in a reasonable amount of time then I shall have to respond by-"

"Oh, SHUT UP!" Princess snapped, whipping her head around to face the agitated Mojo, who had was now standing in the doorway, rubbing his sore jaw. "God, on and on, just like a broken record!" She shifted her gaze back to Blossom, who she noticed had not left from her spot, nor had she even taken a fighting stance. "What's wrong with you? Aren't you going to fight? Or are you just as much of a weakling without your sisters the same way they are without _you_?"

"Shut up, Princess!"

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve? What's the matter?" Princess began to advance towards the frightened teen, ignoring Mojo's protests. "You're not really scared, are you?" Once she was standing directly in front of Blossom she reached out and gave her a light shove to provoke her, but she still did not take a fighting stance. "Why won't you fight?!" Princess shouted irritably. "Come on, I don't have all day!"

Princess noticed with mild interest the necklace that was secured around Blossom's thin neck. "What's that? Your boyfriend give that to you?" Princess suddenly reached out and grabbed the necklace before Blossom could react, and with one quick pull, yanked it off, breaking the clasp.

"Give that back!" Blossom shouted furiously as she tried to reach for the necklace, but Princess simply slapped her hand away as she studied the piece of jewelry curiously. "My family bought that for me!"

"Oh, how sweet. How much did they spend on it? This thing looks like a piece of junk," the rich teen spat, now eying the necklace with disgust.

Blossom's eyes narrowed a bit. "Give. It. Back! I'm warning you, Princess!" Blossom tried to reach for the necklace again, but Princess pulled it out of her reach. "Oh wait, I remember seeing this at the mall. This thing's only like fifty dollars. If they really loved you they would have spent at least two hundred."

"GIVE IT BACK!"

Princess tossed the necklace down onto the floor and stomped on it, smiling in satisfaction when she heard the sound of the crunching metal. Blossom stared in horror.

"You…You…" she whispered but her lips could not form sensible words.

Princess felt Mojo come up and grab her by the arm, but she quickly pushed him back with surprising strength, knocking him off his feet.

"I'm sure you're angry now. Come on, punch me! I dare you," Princess said coyly as she leaned in slightly, granting Blossom permission to strike her.

_'Oh God…does she know?'_

Finding her anger, Blossom gathered all the strength she could muster and slugged Princess across the face, hoping it was enough to satisfy. Unfortunately, the punch barely knocked the other girl off balance, whereas ordinarily she would have been slammed against the wall due to the superior strength behind the force of the blow.

Princess rubbed her cheek as she turned back to face Blossom again. "I'll admit, it hurt a little, but the problem is I'm still standing." She suddenly smirked once she realized the truth. "You lost your powers, didn't you?"

Blossom took a step back.

"Nice going, Monkey Boy," Princess said joyously as she turned to face Mojo, who had been watching the display from the floor. "You made it easy for me."

Firing up her jetpack, Princess grabbed Blossom's arms and blasted through the roof.

"Curses!" Mojo shouted, jumping to his feet and rushing out of the room. He already knew what Princess intended to do. The only problem was he had no idea how to stop her.

He threw the door open and ran down the stairs of his volcano. When his feet touched the ground he looked up towards the sky where he instantly spotted Princess and a screaming and flailing Blossom. She was ascending higher and higher into the air, and oddly enough Mojo was beginning to panic. He rushed to stand underneath them, figuring he could try to catch Blossom if Princess dropped her, but at the altitude she was reaching, Mojo was certain that the impact of her fall would kill him, and most likely severely injure Blossom, if not kill her, too.

"What's going on?!"

Mojo turned towards the new voice and noticed with mild relief that Buttercup and Bubbles were arriving on the scene at top speed. He eagerly pointed to the two teens high above his head.

"_That _is what is going on!" he shouted, but then realized with fear that now Buttercup and Bubbles would find out that Blossom was without her powers…and that meant he probably would not come out of this without a broken limb or a bloody lip.

"Princess!" Buttercup yelled, instantly getting the redhead's attention.

"Oh, didn't get enough, did you?!" Princess shouted back to the dark-haired girl.

"Shut up! What are you doing with our sister?!"

"Well, it's just no fun when I don't get to beat up all three of you!" Princess shouted back.

"Blossom, what's the matter with you?! Fight back!" Buttercup called out to her distressed sister, surprised that she was just hanging there in Princess's grip, barely doing anything beyond screaming or kicking.

Blossom looked down to the ground, which she fearfully noted was more far away than she realized. They were going to find out anyway, but she didn't know how to tell her sisters that Mojo had drained her powers with the antidote X. For a moment she forgot her own problems and felt mild sympathy for Mojo, who she knew was going to suffer Buttercup's rage once she found out the truth.

"Let her go!" Bubbles cried. Princess smiled.

"As you wish."

With that Princess released her hold on Blossom's hands and she began to plummet rapidly, much to everyone's horror, including Mojo's. Princess took that opportunity to flee, while Bubbles took off after her falling sister, desperate to reach her before she hit the Earth. Buttercup waited before Blossom was safe in Bubbles' arms before she took off after Princess, now more eager to bring her down than ever.

Mojo approached the two Puffs once they touched down. He noticed with some remorse that Blossom was trembling violently from the shock of almost being killed. And who could blame her? Bubbles, on the other hand, looked more confused than horrified.

"It's okay," she reassured her sister. "You're safe."

Buttercup appeared seconds later, a beaten and battered Princess in her grasp. She carelessly let the unconscious girl fall to the ground before she approached Blossom with angry strides. "What was that, Blossom? Why didn't you fly? Why didn't you just kick Princess' butt?!"

Blossom was unresponsive, and continued to tremble. Buttercup swiftly brought her attention to Mojo. "What did you do?" she asked dangerously.

Mojo tried to keep himself together and not show his fear, keeping his eyes locked with Buttercup's, but he, too, was unresponsive.

Buttercup really didn't need a response anyway. The truth was obvious. Mojo had drained Blossom's powers, and because of him she had almost been killed. Without hesitation, Buttercup drew her arm back and punched Mojo as hard as she could in the face, sending him slamming against the base of the volcano.

"You jerk!" she screamed, advancing towards him. "You drained her powers, didn't you?!" She grabbed Mojo by the tunic and lifted him up, preparing to hit him again.

"Buttercup, don't," Blossom cut in, finally regaining her composure. "I agreed to it."

"You what?" Buttercup replied as she dropped Mojo to the ground. "How could you agree to something so stupid?! Do you realize how vulnerable you are to Mojo now? He could kill you! How could you just agree to let him drain your powers without the thought that he was planning to destroy you?!"

"The only reason why he wanted me to do it was because he was afraid I'd go back on my word. He knew I could easily escape if I wished to, but without my powers there would be no way I could escape. He promised he wouldn't hurt me."

"And you believed him?! Are you really that dense?!"

Blossom turned away. "I trust him," she said, wincing at how stupid that sounded.

"What?!" Buttercup suddenly turned to face Mojo again. "You brainwashed her, didn't you?!"

"He hasn't brainwashed me! He hasn't hurt me! He hasn't done anything to me! Now just let it go!"

Buttercup's eyes widened in shock. How in the world could Blossom possibly trust someone like Mojo Jojo? She had always been the wise one, always been the one to be skeptical of a person's intentions in shady situations. She could probably see Bubbles being more trusting but not Blossom.

"Don't tell the Professor," she whispered. "Please, he's worried enough as it is. Just…please don't."

Buttercup gritted her teeth, wanting so much to beat that chump chimp to an inch of his life. "Fine, you want to trust this jerk? Be my guest. You just better hope I don't end up coming back here to save your butt because I know you aren't gonna want to hear me say 'I told you so.'" Buttercup turned to Mojo once more. "And let that be a warning to you, too. You better not hurt her, or I swear I'll bash your face in."

"Scout's honor," Mojo replied, looking on with annoyance.

Buttercup went and picked up Princess, slinging her over her shoulder. "Let's go, Bubbles. We need to take Princess off to jail."

Buttercup took off without waiting for her blonde sister, but Bubbles didn't look too eager to leave at all.

"She's never going to stop being angry with me," Blossom said as she watched the green streak in the sky that was her sister slowly fade away.

"She's just worried about you. And you and I both know the only way Buttercup knows how to show her concern is to rant and rave. But I'm worried about you, too, Blossom. Are you sure you can trust Mojo's word that he won't take advantage of the situation and try to kill you? Blossom, I've tried to respect your decision here, but…I feel like I should be siding with Buttercup on this one."

"Sometimes you have to go on trust, Bubbles. Mojo might not be the most trustworthy person, here, but let's not forget that it was Princess who almost killed me, not Mojo. If he hasn't harmed me by now, I think I owe him a little faith."

Bubbles sighed. "Well, it's just-"

"I do not plan to harm her," Mojo chimed in, though he didn't bother to look over towards the two Puffs. "Not until after her sentence has been served. Before I have the pleasure of destroying her I want her to suffer what I did. Cut off from the outside world and forced to live an enclosed life with little to no freedom. If you do not trust that I will not harm her then that is your problem I'm afraid, but I gave my word and I do not intend to break it."

Bubbles slowly nodded, accepting Mojo's words. What other choice did she have? "Alright," she said softly. She hugged her sister tightly. "I better go. Wish me luck. I know I'm not going to hear the end of this from Buttercup."

"Well, just make sure the Professor doesn't overhear, okay?"

"I will."

"Bye, Bubbles."

"Bye, Blossom."

Bubbles quickly took off after her long gone sister, leaving Blossom and Mojo alone once more.

"Are you alright?" Blossom asked after a moment's silence, looking towards Mojo and looking over his bloody nose with a bit of pity.

"Other than a possibly broken nose, yes." Mojo looked towards Blossom, who he saw was still shaking a little from shock. "And you?"

Blossom shrugged. "What do you care?"

Mojo nodded in agreement. "Good point. I don't. Now pick yourself up and let's go back inside," he said, getting to his feet.

Blossom sighed deeply as she got to her feet as well. Mojo came and took her by the arm, and then escorted her up the stairs and back into the now damaged observatory. "I guess I should make repairs," said Mojo dully as he glanced at the large hole in the ceiling where Princess had busted through. He then realized that he also had to make repairs to Blossom's room as well. "You can wait in my room until I complete them. But do not touch anything!"

0ooooooo0

It took several hours but once the damages to Blossom's room had been repaired, Mojo allowed her to reenter it, but upon entering the room, the redhead instantly spotted the broken remains of her precious necklace her family had given to her still lying on the floor where Princess had stomped on it. She knelt down on one knee and slowly picked up the chain. Some of the flowers were still intact, but three of them had been crushed.

"I can't believe she did this," Blossom whispered as she fumbled with the broken pieces of the flower pendants. Mojo had almost started to close the door when she had spoken. He rolled his eyes when he heard her let out a sob.

"Suck it up. It was just a stupid necklace."

Blossom whirled around to face him, the broken chain still in her grasp. "This was a gift from the Professor and my sisters! I'm sorry you think it's just a worthless piece of junk but it was special to me! Just…leave me alone."

Mojo shrugged and shut the door, leaving Blossom to weep silently.

0ooooooo0

When Mojo brought Blossom dinner that evening, he was very displeased to see that she was still crying over that stupid necklace. "I can't believe you're still blubbering over that thing. You're acting like one of your relatives died."

The redhead rolled her eyes as she used her sleeve to wipe her tears. "Shut up, Mojo. You just don't understand. The necklace was a gift from my family, and it meant a lot to me. I don't live with them anymore…and I miss them terribly. I don't know…wearing that necklace made it possible for me to bear them not being with me."

"I think you are putting far too much value into it."

"Well that's your opinion. I can't expect you to understand." Blossom folded her arms and turned away from the chimp. "If you had a real family who loved you, maybe then you'd understand how I feel," she mumbled, not really intending for Mojo to hear, though he still did. He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth, but chose not to respond to Blossom's statement.

"Just eat your dinner," he growled, then turned to leave.

0ooooooo0

"Such a crybaby. I thought it was Bubbles who was supposed to be the crybaby," Mojo mumbled to himself as he roughly scrubbed the dirty dishes in his sink. "It is just a stupid necklace."

_You put a lot of value in those ships you build, _the little voice in his head said, forcing Mojo to groan in annoyance.

__

'Well of course I do! I made them! Which is to say they are products of my own diligence and creativity and only exist because I brought them into existence. I spend hours constructing them, paying attention to every last detail!'

Well, a gift from her family has the same value, as hard is that is for a nimrod like you to believe.

Mojo angrily thrust the now very clean plate into the rack to dry, then fished through the soapy water for something else to wash. He tried to keep his mind clear, not wanting to give his conscience more ammunition to keep pestering him.

__

You think ignoring me is going to make me shut up?

Mojo started to hum, still focused on the glass in his hand, though his right eye was starting to twitch.

__

Idiot.

"Argh!" Mojo yelled, slamming the glass down onto the counter. Miraculously, it didn't shatter. _'Some conscience you are. All you do is insult me!'_

__

Okay, you want my help? Why don't you do something nice for Blossom?

Mojo snorted, picking up the glass and setting it in the rack by the plate. _'Nice? That word is not even in my vocabulary.'_

__

Oh, yes it is. It just got stuck between some of the pages in your mental vocabulary book.

Mojo yanked the silverware out of the container in the drying rack, then stepped down off the footstool to go put them away in the silverware drawer. _'Oh really?' _he mentally asked the voice arrogantly, putting the silverware in their rightful slots.

__

Yes, I believe it got stuck between 'evil' and 'asshat'.

Mojo slammed the drawer shut, wishing the voice in his head was an actual person so that he could beat it senseless. '_And what do you suggest?'_

_Hey, I cannot possibly do everything for you. Figure it out._

0ooooooo0

Blossom wiped her eyes as she sat the crumpled remains of her necklace on the nightstand by her bed. She stared at them with a frown, still trying to digest Mojo's harsh words. Perhaps he was right. It was just a necklace, after all. Was it really worth making such a big deal over?

_It was a gift from your family, _the voice in her head reassured her. _It was special. And now that you aren't living with them anymore, its value was much greater._

Blossom nodded solemnly. The irony of it was the fact that Blossom never much cared for jewelry. But that necklace, for some reason, had caught her eye. But for the most part, she cared more about things that pertained to her main interest - knowledge. Buttercup had always been the only one who managed to get the right Christmas and birthday gifts, whereas Bubbles and the Professor tended to get her stereotypical gifts: jewelry, perfume, and makeup. They only got the right gift if Blossom managed to drop heavy hints at what she wanted. But she always appreciated anything from her family and never said anything against it. She figured Bubbles got Blossom the gifts that _she _would like, and not what Blossom would like.

Looking at the remains of the necklace, Blossom suddenly wished she had brought some of her other belongings that had been given to her by her sisters and father. Or at least wished she had brought a family photo.

The redhead settled down under the covers and turned on her side, the traumatic event that had taken place hours ago finally showing its true colors of fatigue.

0ooooooo0

Mojo approached Blossom's room and placed his ear against the door, listening carefully. He could just barely make out her soft snoring from within the room. After quietly unlocking the door, he stepped into the door and approached her bed with careful steps. Luckily, he spotted what he was looking for when he shifted his gaze slightly to the left.

Gathering the few pendants that were still intact and the broken chain into his palm, he turned and left the room in silence.

TBC…


	8. A Moment of Panic

__

Chapter VIII

****

A Moment of Panic

Blossom awoke early the next morning after a very restless night of tossing and turning. Looking out the window, she saw that the sun hadn't quite peaked yet, but she could see the orange hue in the dark sky, indicating that sunrise wasn't too far off. It would be about another hour before Mojo had to get up for work, which also meant about another hour before he would be waking her up for her breakfast and a trip to the bathroom. She let her head sink back into the softness of her pillow. Perhaps it'd be best to try and get that hour's worth of sleep, but she felt wide awake now.

Deciding she'd probably stay awake for the remainder of the day, Blossom turned over and started to turn on the lamp, but noticed a small box sitting on the stand right next to the alarm clock. After a moment of simply staring at it she finally turned on the lamp and then picked it up to open it. What she found inside was what she least expected. Right there before her eyes was her necklace, though it didn't look quite the same as it once did. It only had three flower pendants, rather than six, and she could tell that they had been rearranged and spaced out.

"I can't believe…" She couldn't believe it at all. Obviously Mojo had repaired the necklace, but why? He was the one who said the necklace was just a stupid piece of junk and was not something to grieve over. She had not expected this from him at all.

She pulled the necklace out of the box and completely looked it over, then reached over to turn on the lamp so she could get a better look at it.

"Why did he…?"

0ooooooo0

Mojo noticed with surprise that Blossom was already sitting up in bed when he came in to wake her. He also noticed that she had found the necklace, and she was already looking at him with confused eyes, just as he had been expecting.

"Why?" she questioned, holding the necklace up a little for him to see. "Why did you do this? Why did you fix it?"

Mojo shrugged, his dull expression unchanging. "So you would stop complaining about it. You were making such a big deal out of that piece of junk. It was the only way I could get you to shut up," he quipped.

"But how did you do it?"

Mojo laughed at the question. "Please. I can create enormous fighting robots and other weapons of destruction in half the time even your smartest human could, and you think I can't reassemble a piece of jewelry?"

Blossom looked down at the necklace again. "Well…you didn't have to. I mean…it was very nice of you. A little too nice."

Mojo shrugged. "Well fine, would you prefer me to smash it?" he said, going over to retrieve the necklace, but Blossom pulled it closer to her chest.

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all! I'm just surprised that you would do it is all." She held it out so she could have another look at it again, smiling slightly.

"Yes, I know."

"Can you…umm…put it on for me?"

Mojo sighed and set the plate of waffles down on the desk by the computer before walking over towards Blossom and taking the necklace from her hand. She turned around for him and he reached out to pull her hair to the side, unintentionally brushing his fingers against her neck and causing Blossom to shiver slightly, though he didn't notice. He placed the necklace around her neck and hooked the clasp easily.

"There. Now hurry up and eat. I need to quickly shower. Once I'm done I shall allow you to use the bathroom before I leave."

Blossom nodded.

0ooooooo0

Princess was not in the best of moods when she had been transferred to the prison. Mainly because she knew she was in for about a week long wait before her father returned home from his business trip. Ordinarily, she'd be bailed out within a few hours, or a day tops. She cursed herself for having not waited until her father returned before going out and robbing the bank. But within the first few hours of her arrival, the redhead wasted no time in spreading the news of Blossom living with Mojo, as well as her deprived powers. Most of the inmates had already heard the story. But the part about the Powerpuff leader not having her powers was news to them.

"If only I were free right now. I'd go over there and strangle her," one prisoner said, earning nods and mumbles of agreement from the other inmates.

"I was so close!" Princess squealed in dismay. "If only her stupid sisters hadn't shown up, she'd be a Powerpuff pancake right now!"

Princess' words had lead to numerous discussions amongst the prisoners. Discussions that migrated all throughout the prison halls, and eventually making their way to the cell of one prisoner in particular.

Mark turned his head slightly as he heard the prisoners talking from within one of the cells right across from his. He slowly rolled out of his bed and moved closer towards the cell door. He smiled slightly when the words became clearer.

_'So she's living with the monkey now? Figures,' _he thought. '_I'm surprised that chump chimp hasn't killed her yet.'_

The man leaned against the wall, vaguely wondering when they would finally determine an execution date._ 'Well, maybe I should put that on my 'Things To Do' list if I ever bust out of here.'_

Mark turned and strolled back over to his bed, "Hell, maybe I'll kill 'em both."

0ooooooo0

__

Four days later…

"Buttercup didn't tell the Professor, did she?" Blossom asked urgently, holding her breath as she waited for her sister's response.

__

"No, Blossom. She's still pretty mad at you, though."

"Well, I figured that much," the redhead replied with a sigh.

__

"And Mojo hasn't hurt you, right?"

"Bubbles, are you guys going to ask that question every time I call you?"

__

"Well, given the circumstances, I'd say it's a mandatory question, wouldn't you?"

Blossom sighed heavily. "Yeah, I suppose. But right now I want to change the subject. How's school?"

__

"Not easy. People are still making snide remarks, and even some of our teachers have been questioning us about you, but we keep telling them the same thing over and over again, but they just don't seem to get it. Mr. Stoke has been very reasonable about it, though."

"Yeah, he's always been an understanding man. It's nice to know at least _someone _isn't buying into the crap those magazines are saying."

__

"Oh, and I almost forgot. We ran into Ms. Keane at the grocery store the other day. She read the article in the paper and questioned us about it, too. But she believes us, thank goodness."

Blossom smiled at the mention of her old kindergarten teacher. "How's she doing?"

__

"Pretty good. She's still teaching at Pokey Oaks. Actually, she and the Professor have been corresponding a lot over the phone."

Blossom could detect the excitement in Bubbles' tone. She already knew what that girl was thinking. "You're thinking the Professor and Ms. Keane might try to hit it off again?"

_"I'd really like that," _Bubbles replied with hope in her voice. _"I think it would be really good for the Professor. I mean, to have someone his own age to talk to and help him get his mind off…well…"_

"Me," Blossom sighed.

__

"Yeah…"

"Yeah…that _would _be good for him."

__

"Oh, listen, I got to go. Dinner's almost ready."

"Oh, okay. I'll talk to you next week, okay?"

__

"Sure thing. Bye, Blossom! Take care!"

Blossom hung up the phone and started making her way back to her room.

"Do you not want dinner?" Mojo asked as he poked his head out of the kitchen. Blossom stopped and turned around, furrowing her brow.

"Well…yeah, but…you-"

"Come."

Mojo turned and went back into the kitchen, leaving Blossom a bit baffled. So he was allowing her to eat in the kitchen? He never let her out of her room/cell for anything other than her phone calls home, and her trip to the bathroom. Was this another random act of kindness? Fixing her necklace was odd enough.

Blossom stepped into the kitchen and took a seat at the table, eying Mojo on the other end of the kitchen. She quickly averted her gaze when she saw him turn around and make his way towards her with a plate in one hand, and a glass of milk in the other. She looked a bit surprised when she saw what it was that she had to eat. She hadn't been expecting roast and mashed potatoes.

"Wow…this looks good."

"Yes, I believe I am spoiling you." Mojo went back to fix himself a helping of the dinner.

"Spoiling?"

"Well, yes. I did not get dinners like that in prison. Compared to the slop I had to eat, this is more like something you would most likely see served in a palace."

_'Great. More guilt. Maybe he's being nice _just _to make me feel guilty.'_

"Well, I _do _appreciate it."

"You better," Mojo replied sharply as he took a seat across from Blossom. He didn't even look at her as he picked up his fork and instantly started eating. But Blossom felt a bit awkward sitting at a dinner table with her worst enemy, and for a few moments she just sat in silence, her hands down at her sides. Mojo suddenly looked up at her. "Are you not going to eat?"

"Oh…yeah."

Blossom fumbled with her fork and followed Mojo's lead. She continuously glanced across the table at the chimp, finding herself growing more and more uncomfortable with the surrounding silence. She swallowed her second bite of food slowly as she mulled over the thought of starting up a conversation.

"You know…while we're both here, why don't we get to know each other better?"

Mojo glanced at the redhead again, not looking the least bit pleased by her suggestion. Blossom had expected as much. "You must be joking," Mojo said, shaking his head in disapproval.

"No, I'm serious. What could it hurt?"

"And what exactly do you wish to know about me that you do not already know?"

Blossom shrugged. "Umm…was there anything you wanted to do other than become a villain?"

Mojo laughed off the question and continued with his meal, but Blossom waited patiently for an answer, staring him down.

"Not really," he said curtly.

"What about being a chef? You enjoy that, don't you? Didn't that cross your mind?"

"I did not become interested in the culinary arts until some months after becoming a super villain."

Blossom looked down at her plate and resumed her eating. "But you-"

"Trust me, destroying the human race was my first and only priority at the time."

Blossom finally accepted the answer, feeling slightly disappointed. But in spite of what he said, Blossom refused to believe Mojo was truly evil.

"Alright, well…umm…what's your favorite color?"

Mojo looked rather bored for a moment. "My favorite color? That's the best you can do?" Mojo sighed, pushing his plate aside. "Purple."

"Oh, I thought blue might have been your favorite."

"Many would assume, yes. But blue is a close second, and a purple uniform with a blue cape just did not sit well with me. Black is more sinister, of course, but…it would not stand out against my fur." Mojo reached for his glass of tea. "Anymore "exciting" questions?"

"Umm…how old are you?"

Mojo quickly took a sip of tea and then set the glass aside next to his plate. "Isn't it rude to ask people how many years of life they have acquired?"

"No, it's only rude to ask women," Blossom replied, grinning as she took a sip of her milk.

"That is ridiculous. But if you must know, I am eleven. Technically, anyhow."

Blossom lowered her glass. "Eleven?"

"Did I stutter?"

"But, I'm fifteen. How are you younger than me?"

"Well technically I am older by one year. I was a year old when I was affected by the chemical X, and it's been exactly ten years since that day, which comes out to my age being eleven, as that is the number of years I have existed on this planet. You see, you are actually ten, because that is the number of years _you_ have existed on this planet, but you were born as a five-year-old, therefore you are biologically fifteen, while technically being ten."

"Well, okay, I get that. But…you never looked…"

"My age? Well no, that was yet another effect of the chemical X. It changed my appearance of age. I no longer looked like an infant, but rather a fully grown chimpanzee. My theory is that it added five years to my appearance, and I come to this conclusion because you were born as a five-year-old, and not an infant. I could be wrong, of course. I honestly cannot be one hundred percent certain of my age."

"Well...it _does_ seem odd…"

"Well, it seems odd to you because humans are still considered children at the age of eleven, so you think of me as a child, naturally, but I am actually an adolescent, or teenager. Chimpanzees will reach the age of adulthood around fifteen, while humans reach adulthood around eighteen, well legally anyhow. Honestly, Blossom, didn't you pay attention in biology class? Or zoology, or whatever classes you've been taking?"

"Well, Mojo, we don't cover every last detail of the animal kingdom. Geez. And I haven't done a lot of research on chimpanzees, so I'm a bit rusty."

"Seeing as how your worst enemy is a chimpanzee, I would have assumed you would have done countless amounts of research," Mojo replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, well…maybe I'll do that, then." There was a short pause. "So I guess biologically, you're sixteen?" Blossom asked, getting back to the subject.

"I believe that's right. At least that would be correct if my theory is correct."

"Hmm…interesting."

"Alright, now I believe it is only fair that I ask a question. You say you are so concerned about getting your education. What college are you applying to and what is your career plan?"

Blossom sighed. She hated it when people asked her that question. It seemed like ever since she started high school, that was the only question people seemed interested in asking her. It wasn't exactly an easy decision to make, as it was a decision that could affect the rest of her life.

"Well, I honestly don't know what college I want to go to yet. But as for my career plan…Well, it's a tie between a scientist and a lawyer."

Mojo seemed pleased with that answer. "Well, I believe a lawyer is something you would find great skill at. You're quite persistent, and you do like to argue."

Blossom actually laughed at that. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

"And I certainly hope that if you do achieve this career, that you do not let any truly innocent people go to prison."

Blossom seemed a bit confused by the statement at first, but she then quickly realized the hidden meaning. "You just aren't going to drop it, are you? You love making me feel guilty, don't you?"

Mojo smiled. "Of course."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I? I'm making up for it."

Mojo was silent for a moment, and then quietly stood up to clear the table. Blossom watched him, another question now forming on the tip of her tongue.

"You were in prison for four years. Did you just…you know, sit there? Didn't you try to break out?"

Mojo snorted at the question. "Of course I did. I tried dozens of times. But I'm sure you know that over the years security has improved. A lot of prison guards have migrated over here from other cities, mainly Citysville, and if you know anything at all about that city, they do not play around."

"Yeah, I know. We moved there for a short period of time back when we were still little. We hated that place."

Mojo got a clean dishrag and began washing the plates. "Yes, well, they are not the most pleasant people to be around in prison. Due to the severity of my alleged crime, no one ever took their eyes off of me for a second. After a few close calls, they moved me to a different cell. No windows, no bars, just a closed off cell with one door. There would always be someone standing outside of that door, too. If I made even the slightest sound they would turn and stare at me through the window on the door. Eventually I had no choice but to give up. Even if I had escaped, I would be right back in there in a matter of hours. They were not going to take any chances on me killing again."

Blossom looked down at her hands, feeling guilty again. "That must have been hell."

"Indeed it was. It is probably safe to say that I nearly went mad. Which is to say that my state of mind was not entirely stable and was beginning to deteriorate."

Blossom sighed, then finished her glass of milk. "I'll help," she said, getting up and walking over to give Mojo a hand with the dishes. He watched her grab a dry dishrag to dry off the plates that he had just washed, and then stepped down off the foot stool.

"Actually, why don't you finish?" he said smugly as he tossed the wet rag in Blossom's face. The redhead pulled the rag from her face in a annoyance and shot Mojo a dirty look over her shoulder. "I think it is only fair that you wash the dishes which you have soiled, as well as mine.. After all, you should be expected to carry out some sort of responsibility that you do not particularly like, being a prisoner and all. Plus, I was kind enough to make you a decent meal."

"Alright, your Majesty. I'll wash the dishes."

"Not just tonight, but from now on as well."

Blossom rolled her eyes again, but tried not to think of it as a punishment, but a household chore, just as she was used to carrying out at home.

0ooooooo0

__

Three weeks later…

The last few weeks had passed with ease. Few arguments were shared, and Mojo and Blossom's tolerance for each other slowly grew. They didn't speak to each other much, however. The last time they had actually engaged in a heavy discussion had been at dinner three weeks back. But the miracle was that they were not at each other's throats.

And now Mojo found more time to continue with his model ship building, which really helped relieve the stress of not being able to commit any crimes.

"Yes….almost there," Mojo said as he carefully moved a piece into place. He had been so engrossed in completing the construction of the ship that the sound of the phone ringing nearly caused drastic damage to the work he had already completed. "Curses," he mumbled as he made his way towards the phone in frustration. He had really hoped to get that ship done so he could start on that model riverboat he had been putting off for so long. "Yes?" he answered bitterly.

_"Mojo! Let us talk to Blossom! It's an emergency!" _Bubbles screamed into the phone, causing Mojo to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment.

"What emergency?" he questioned.

__

"Mojo, please, I'm begging you! Just let me talk to Blossom!"

"Alright! Just cease your screaming."

Mojo placed the phone down on the table and went to retrieve Blossom. He found her sitting at her computer, doing research for the last essay she had to write for her history class before school ended for the summer. It took her a moment to realize that Mojo was even in the room.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Bubbles is on the phone for you. I believe she said something about an emergency."

Blossom was on her feet in an instant and running out the door, nearly knocking Mojo over in the process. She picked up the phone, already fearing the worst.

"What is it, Bubbles?"

__

"It's the Professor! He was in an accident!"

Blossom felt her blood run cold. "W-What kind of an accident?" she asked softly.

__

"A car accident! He was on his way home and…a truck slammed into him on his side! They just took him off to the hospital right now! Buttercup already left but I had to call you to let you know!"

"Okay, Bubbles, calm down. It's alright. I'll meet you there shortly, alright? It's okay."

Blossom winced as she heard her sister begin to sob through the phone. She couldn't blame her at all; she felt close to tears herself. "I'll be there in a minute."

__

"O-Okay."

"Mojo!" Blossom screamed after slamming the phone down on the hook.

"I'm right here. There is no need for you to vocalize my name so loudly, as my current location does not permit it for I am close enough to hear you clearly without having to speak so loudly."

"Please, the Professor was in an accident! I need to go to the hospital!"

"No," Mojo answered quickly, not even giving a thought to Blossom's request.

"Mojo, please! He's hurt! I need to go!"

Mojo had already turned away and had started making his way back to his unfinished model ship. In his mind, the discussion was closed and his decision final, but Blossom followed after him, pleading with him. She knew deep down there was kindness in that cold heart of his. He had shown it before. She dropped to her knees and reached out to grasp his billowing cape. "Please!" she screamed. Mojo looked down at her in alarm, surprised by her dramatic display.

"Will you pipe down!" he snapped as he snatched his cape away. "For crying out loud, get a hold of yourself. Unless the Professor is dead I do not think you should be acting like this."

She slowly looked up at him with tearful eyes. "B-But, I don't know how bad it is. He could…Oh no." Blossom buried her face in her hands as she began to sob loudly. Mojo growled in annoyance as he grabbed Blossom by the arm and hauled her to her feet.

"Get it together!" he said rather harshly. "I will allow you to see him, alright?"

"You will?" Blossom asked with relief in her tone. Mojo took a step back, fearing she was about to hug him.

"Yes, so stop blubbering."

"You're…You're not coming with me?"

"No. I do not wish to be there, so I am trusting you that you will not try to run off, because understand that if you try it, you will not get very far without your powers and I _will _find you. And trust me, you don't want me to find you."

"I know, I know. I won't run, I promise."

"One hour. I will be monitoring the time very carefully, and if you are not back by the time which you are expected, then I will come searching for you, is that clear?"

Blossom nodded.

"Very well then. Go."

0ooooooo0

It took about ten minutes to get to the hospital without flying. The street lights were beginning to come on as the sun slowly began to disappear from the sky. She silently prayed that the Professor's condition wasn't critical. If he died, she didn't think she would be able to go on.

Once she made it into the hospital she instantly ran to the front desk, ignoring a few stares she got from the people sitting in the waiting room. "Pro…fessor…Utonium," she said between large intakes of air. "Where?"

"Second floor, room '203'."

"Thank you."

Blossom sprinted off towards the elevators and mashed the up button at least a dozen times. She almost considered using the stairs before the doors finally opened. She quickly jumped inside and hit the appropriate button, then leaned back against the railing of the elevator and tried to relax for a moment. She wiped the sweat from her brow and watched the little arrow above the elevator door move from the '1' to the '2'.

When she felt the elevator come to a halt she waited for the doors to part and then leapt out into the hallway. She eagerly glanced at all the room numbers on the doors, trying to get a handle on herself. When she saw room '200' it didn't take her long before she spotted room '203'. She rushed to the door but then paused, her hand just inches from the door handle. She feared what awaited her on the other side of the door. She didn't know how she'd be able to react if she saw the Professor in critical condition. She didn't know if she'd be able to hold herself together, but she had to see him.

Sighing, she turned the handle and pushed the door open, causing everyone inside the room to look her way. She was extremely relieved to see the Professor sitting up in bed, and smiling, too once he saw Blossom.

"There you are," he said.

"Are you alright?" Blossom asked calmly as she went over to hug the Professor. She saw that his arm was in a sling, and he had a few cuts on his face, but other than that he looked fine, much to Blossom's relief.

"Oh this is nothing," the man said as he nodded to his injured arm. "The truck that hit me had slammed on his breaks so he wasn't going full speed. The light turned red on him kind of fast, and the road was still wet from when it rained earlier and so he went sliding through the intersection and I unfortunately was in his path. But it's okay, I'm fine. Can't say the same for my car, but insurance should cover a good bit of it."

"I'm just glad you're okay," said Blossom as she wiped her eyes. She had been terrified that the Professor's condition would have been much worse, and although she knew he was safe, her heart just wouldn't stop pounding against her chest.

"What took you so long?" the Professor asked. "Bubbles said she called you almost fifteen minutes ago. The hospital is only about a mile from Mojo's observatory."

Blossom tried not to show her fear to the Professor's question. She looked towards her sisters, only to see them looking just as worried as she was. She forgot that the Professor didn't know she was without her powers.

"Well…the thing is, it took me a while to convince Mojo to let me come visit you. He said no at first, but then I talked him into changing his mind."

It was half true, though it hadn't taken but a minute or two to convince Mojo to let her go, but it seemed reasonable enough, and the Professor seemed to buy it, too.

"Oh, I see. I'm surprised he's not with you."

Blossom rubbed her arm nervously. "Yeah, he said he trusts me that I'll come back."

The Professor looked surprised. "Wow, that's rather surprising, especially for Mojo."

Blossom decided to quickly change the subject. "Are you in any pain?"

"Oh no, not really. They gave me something to numb the pain. The cuts on my face sting a little though. When the truck rammed me the window shattered and glass went everywhere, including into me," the Professor replied with a laugh. Blossom winced. "Oh it's fine. It doesn't hurt that bad." The Professor eyed Blossom with concern. "Blossom, you look so pale."

"Well, I was scared. When Bubbles called me she was in a panic. I thought…I thought the worst."

The Professor gestured for Blossom to sit down next to him. "I'm fine, really. They said I can go home in the morning. It's just a broken arm, and I had my seatbelt on."

Blossom leaned her head against the Professor's chest. "But it could have been much worse."

"Let's not talk about that, honey. Let's just be glad that we're all here together, okay? Come over here, you two," the Professor said affectionately, motioning for both Bubbles and Buttercup who had been standing off to the side to come sit with him.

0ooooooo0

Mojo had abandoned his work on the model ship and decided to turn on the TV for a while, though he knew he probably wouldn't find anything of his taste to interest him. The news was the same thing every day: terrorists and murders of every kind. It was not something he enjoyed hearing about, ironically. Every time he saw something about anyone being accused of murder he always had to stop and wonder if perhaps that person was set up the same way he had been, but he never stuck with the case like many people with lack of something better to do would. He simply changed the channel, and then eventually turned the television off all together.

He looked towards the clock and noted that Blossom only had about five minutes before her hour would be up.

"I'm coming after her if she doesn't walk through that door in the next five minutes," he said as he went into the kitchen for something to drink, but he suddenly stopped when he heard the door open. "Well, there you are," he said as he turned and watched Blossom walk into the observatory silently. "I am pleased to see you kept your word."

Blossom escorted herself to her room, her attention cast towards the floor as she dragged herself along, barely even lifting her feet as she went. Mojo silently watched her, his question of her and the Professor's well being on the tip of his tongue, though he didn't let it roll out. When he heard the door to her room/cell close, he finally chose to follow after her, wondering why he even cared.

He found her lying on her bed with her back to the door; she was shaking with sobs.

"I take it he _is _dead?"

"Shut up!" Blossom spat, followed by another loud sob. Mojo didn't look surprised by the outburst. In fact, his expression hardly changed at all, though he did feel a small pang of guilt when Blossom turned to look at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "He's not dead. He's fine. It's…It's just a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises. Nothing more."

Mojo stepped into the room. "So why do you weep?" he asked calmly. Blossom forced herself to sit up, wiping her eyes. She turned around partly, but not enough to face Mojo directly.

"Because…it makes me think of what else might still happen to him, and it makes me feel like I'm taking him for granted. And worst of all…with me being here…and not with him…what if something happens to him and I'm not there to protect him?"

Mojo shook his head as he turned to leave. "You are a fool. You cannot protect everyone from everything, so stop acting like everyone's safety is your responsibility. You may be a superhero, but you cannot prevent every little bad thing from happening."

Blossom turned her back to Mojo again. "Well, I can't expect you to understand what I'm going through here. You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love."

Mojo stopped. His hand tightened around the doorknob as he tried to digest Blossom's words. He slowly turned to face her, seeing that she had already turned away from him. He walked back into the room, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"First of all, I _do_ know what it's like," he said venomously, causing Blossom to grow still. "Second, the Professor is not dead, so I suggest you stop grieving over something that has yet to happen and appreciate the fact that he _is _still here with you."

Mojo finally left, slamming the door on his way out, just as he always did. After a moment of taking in Mojo's words, Blossom resumed her sobbing, now with more guilt riding on her shoulders.

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **I've noticed how I don't seem to get any reviews until the last minute before I update XD Do you guys know how grueling that is for me? A review whore? Oh, and thank you again, **Myah **for that idea. As you can see, I already worked in a small bit of it into this chapter.

This chapter was honestly hard to name since it centers around so many different events. But the chapter title refers to the Professor's accident, just so everyone knows.


	9. Life Goes On

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Chapter IX

****

Life Goes On

The light woke Blossom up before Mojo even had a chance to shake her awake. She opened her eyes but instantly shut them as the light blinded her. "I wish you hadn't turned on that light," she said groggily.

"You would have gone back to sleep had I not."

"No, I wouldn't have." Blossom slowly sat up, extending her arms above her head to stretch. Upon remembering the events of last night, she slowly turned to Mojo. "Um...I'm sorry…about what I said last night. I was out of line."

"It is in the past. Which is to say the conversation which you speak of is not in the present and is therefore inexistent and does not need any further mentioning."

Blossom nodded. "But if you don't mind me asking…who was it that-"

Mojo shoved a plate of pancakes in Blossom's hands before she had a chance to finish the question, but Mojo knew all too well what she was going to ask.

"Eat," he said flatly, and then left the room without another word. Blossom looked down apathetically at the rivers of butter that mingled with the syrup. She picked up her fork and used its edge to cut off a slice of one of the pancakes, though she really had no appetite.

0ooooooo0

__

One month later…

It felt good to be out of school, though the feeling wasn't quite as strong as it usually was, but it certainly was a relief to be away from all the kids who continuously pointed at her and made crude comments about her sister. It was a wonder she was able to keep herself from beating up every kid that so much as looked at her funny, but Buttercup figured that since Blossom had been gone, her will to fight went with her.

There wasn't a ridiculously long line at the box office, but then again it was a Tuesday, and it was only three o' clock, so it was no shock that there was next to no one in line for movie tickets. Though Buttercup did notice three familiar faces standing off to the side, just below the movie posters. Deciding to put off buying a ticket for just a few minutes, she stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked towards the trio of single-celled organisms.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked dryly.

The leader of the three, clad only in a gray fedora, couldn't suppress the joy of seeing one of the Powerpuff Girls. One was better than none.

"Daaa well, what does it look like? Can't you see we're committing a crime?" the leader asked, looking proud. The others looked like they were going to burst as well.

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "How?"

The middle amoeba blinked in surprise before pointing to the sign on the wall.

__

"NO LOITERING"

Buttercup's hand flew to her forehead. "After all these years…you guys still haven't learned."

"Well ugh…we've been in sort of a rut," said Bossman. "Took us a year to come up with dat."

The other two amoebas nodded, but Buttercup looked beyond annoyed. "Look, you guys are gonna have to do something in the explosion/robbery category, otherwise you aren't going to get our attention. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go see a movie. I wish you luck."

Buttercup gave a salute to the three disappointed amoebas and then went over to get her ticket.

"Buttercup!"

Buttercup turned toward the voice and gave a smile when she saw that it was Robin. "Hey," she said, though there wasn't much enthusiasm in her tone.

"I haven't seen you since school let out. I called twice but you were never home."

"Yeah, I've kind of been up and about a lot lately. Well, when I'm not taking care of the Professor of course."

Buttercup pulled out a ten dollar bill and asked for a ticket for the action movie she had been waiting to see for weeks. Robin came and stood next to her, holding a ten dollar bill of her own. "Will you get me one, too?"

Buttercup took the bill, muttering a, "Yeah, sure." She took the tickets and then handed Robin hers. "You're not going to tag along, are you?" she asked as she went to open the door to head into the lobby.

"Why? You don't want my company?"

Buttercup shrugged. "Well, suit yourself."

The two girls went in in silence. Buttercup bought a large popcorn and two sodas, though Robin had offered to pay for her own. After that they both headed into the theatre, which was unsurprisingly empty. As the two females took a seat in the middle section, a roll of advertisements began to play.

"I hate these damn advertisements. I swear, I usually always finish my soda by the time the movie starts, and usually only about half the popcorn is left."

Robin apprehensively tapped the arm rest of her chair.

"So…how've you been?"

Buttercup sighed. "You're not going to start talking about Blossom, are you?"

"Well, I could make a lot of really sick jokes like everyone else has."

Buttercup tried to force a smile. She took a sip of her Coke and leaned back into her seat, which reclined just a bit. "Well…I'm glad you have the capability of thinking for yourself. The last month of school was the hardest. But I still get quite a few weird looks on the street."

"Well, just don't worry about it so much. You know how stupid this town is. They believe anything they hear. I feel really bad for Blossom, though. I can't imagine…all that guilt she's having to put up with. I mean, it really wasn't her fault…I can understand how she feels. I'd feel guilty, too."

"I understood that she felt guilty…I just didn't think she'd want to offer herself as a prisoner to that jerk. I don't know _what _she was thinking."

"Well, we all know how Blossom is," Robin replied as she took a sip of her own soda. "I mean, as smart as she is, sometimes she makes snap decisions under pressure."

"Yeah…and it doesn't help that she's such a goody-goody. She always has to make things right."

"Oh yeah, how's the Professor?" Robin asked, quickly changing the subject.

"He's doing better. He won't have the cast on much longer. I think he's gotten use to us doing most of the housework though," Buttercup replied with a laugh. "I think he's going to hate it once that cast is off."

Robin smiled. "And…I take it he's handling Blossom staying with Mojo a bit better?"

"Well…a little. Not much though. I think it's been the hardest on him because he's such a worry wart sometimes. And heck, I worry about her, too. I mean, she's all alone with that jerk."

"I'm sure Blossom knows what she's doing. She can handle herself."

Buttercup shook her head. "Well, everyone keeps telling me that, but…I don't know."

"Well…has Mojo hurt her at all?"

Buttercup shook her head again, though she didn't look very confident in her answer. "Not that I know of," she said. "Blossom could easily be lying to me though."

"I doubt it."

"She's lied before. I don't doubt she'd do it again."

"Well…"

There was a moment's silence, save for the music being played while the advertisements played across the movie screen. Suddenly, the picture on the screen changed, and the first movie preview began to play.

"It's about time," Buttercup muttered. "I'd rather watch previews than advertisements."

Robin continued tapping the arm rest of her chair as she contemplated whether or not she should ask Buttercup the question that had been festering in the pit of her stomach the whole time they had been together. Finally, she just let out a deep breath and let the question roll off her tongue. "Umm, Buttercup, there's a party Saturday night at my place. I was wondering if you'd like to go. You know…just to get out of the house and get your mind off things."

"A party?"

"Yeah, sort of a celebration for school being out. That sort of thing."

"Is it going to be supervised?"

"Nope. My parents are out of town on their second honeymoon. I can't tell you how long it took me to convince them I could stay home by myself. I've got so many emergency numbers on my fridge, though."

"Sweet. But there ain't no way I'd be able to come. Even if I told the Professor it'll be supervised he'll just end up calling to make sure."

"What time does he go to bed on Saturdays?"

"Umm….'bout eleven thirty or midnight."

"Well, just sneak out of the house once he goes off to bed. The party starts at nine and ends at twelve thirty."

"Trying to convince me to sneak out of the house? I'm surprised at you, Robin," Buttercup said slyly, raising and eyebrow. "I thought you were just as much of a goody-goody as Blossom."

"Hey, I got a wild side, too."

"Yeah, right. Your idea of a wild side is riding the Scrambler twice at all the amusement parks."

Robin grinned. "Well, are you going to come or what?"

Buttercup slumped down into her seat, not sure if she should take such a risk. "I don't know. The Professor'd kill me if he found out."

Robin shrugged. "Well, it's your decision."

The green Puff turned to the brunette and smiled. "Count me in."

0ooooooo0

Professor Utonium smiled once he opened the front door and saw Ms. Keane's smiling face. "You're a bit early," he said as he looked as his wrist watch.

"Well, would you like me to leave and come back in about thirty minute?" the woman joked.

"Oh no, not at all. Please, come in."

The Professor stepped aside and allowed Ms. Keane to enter. "You know, I really appreciate you coming over to help me but honestly, it's nothing I can't handle."

"You said you were making beef stew, right? Doesn't that involve cutting up vegetables?"

"Well…yes. I could use a little help cutting up the carrots," the Professor replied sheepishly.

"That I can handle." Ms. Keane pulled her purse from her shoulder and hung it up on the coat rack by the door. "So where's the girls? Wouldn't they be here helping you, too?"

"Well, Bubbles helped me get the pot set up on the stove and everything. But I sent both her and Buttercup out for the afternoon. They've been here at my beck and call for the past four weeks and I just figured they deserved a little break. Here, follow me into the kitchen."

The man lead Ms. Keane into the kitchen where already three carrots lay scattered on a wooden cutting board. "Just grab one of those knifes and start dicing. Just be careful."

Ms. Keane selected a small knife from the rack and pulled one of the carrots towards her. "So, have you talked to Blossom lately?"

The Professor nodded as he added just a bit of pepper to the boiling stew. "Yes, I talked to her just yesterday, actually."

"And how's she doing?"

"Sounds like she's doing fine. She told me she did real well on her finals, and came out with almost all As."

"'Almost'? Blossom?"

Utonium nodded. "It was a B+ though. One more point and it would have been an A. It was her World Lit. class, I think."

"World Lit.? Isn't that an honors course?"

"I think so."

"My goodness, I don't think I've ever heard of a freshman taking on that course."

"All her classes were honors, and she got through them all like they were nothing to her."

Ms. Keane just sighed and shook her head as she reached for a second carrot to cut. "She amazes me. But I still can't believe she's living with Mojo now."

"Me neither. I still wish she hadn't chose to do it. I wish _I _had been more firm with her, but Blossom's one of those types who will do something anyway if you tell her not to. She does it her own way. She hates admitting she's wrong, and whenever there comes a time when she _is _wrong…well, you can imagine. She had been so sure Mojo had committed those murders."

"Well, everyone did. It's not Blossom's fault."

"We've tried telling her that dozens of times but it's just not enough for her."

"Ah!"

"What is it?" the Professor asked in alarm upon hearing Ms. Keane cry out.

"Oh…Oh it's nothing, I just cut my finger is all." The woman turned on the faucet and let a light flow of water wash over her bloody finger.

"Here, let me get you a band-aid."

The Professor reached into the silverware drawer and pulled out a box of band-aids.

"You keep the band-aids in your silverware drawer?" Ms Keane asked, chuckling.

"Of course. Do you have any idea how many times I knick myself in this kitchen? I figured it'd be best to just have the band-aids right here in the kitchen."

Utonium pulled back the plastic strips from the band-aid, exposing the adhesive ends and secured them around Ms. Keane's finger carefully, making sure it didn't buckle. "There you go." He looked down at the woman and smiled, causing her face to heat up. She turned away quickly, fearing her face may have been red at that point. She smiled warmly.

"Thank you." Ms. Keane quickly turned back to the carrots. "Well, I better get to work on cutting my middle finger next."

The Professor laughed. "No, I think you did enough, thanks. If you could, just scoop them into a bowl and drop them into the stew."

"Alright."

The Professor watched the woman momentarily with a longing expression, then occupied himself with dumping the peas into the boiling stew.

0ooooooo0

When Saturday evening had rolled around, Buttercup found herself growing vaguely nervous. She had been to plenty of parties before, but this was the first party she'd be going to that was unsupervised, and not to mention the first party she would be sneaking out of the house for. She was indeed nervous, but to some degree very excited.

Buttercup retired to her bedroom around eleven thirty where she just laid in bed and read a few of her comic books, waiting patiently to hear the Professor enter his bedroom down the hall. Her obvious excitement had not gone unnoticed. Bubbles had been watching her carefully as she unmade her bed.

"What's with you? You look really antsy."

"Huh? Oh, ugh…must have been that can of soda I drank earlier."

"Yeah, right. What do you have planned?"

"What makes you think I have anything planned?"

"I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Buttercup."

Buttercup sighed as she closed her comic book and tossed it onto the nightstand by her bed. "Alright, but you better not go tattle tailing to the Professor. I'm sneaking out of the house to go to a party tonight."

Bubbles looked worried for a minute. "Umm…what kind of party?" she asked nervously.

"Just a party. Probably a lot of kids from school will be there. If you're wondering if there's going to be drugs or booze…well, I can't really say. Robin's the host."

"Are her parents going to be there?"

"Of course not, Bubbles. Why do you think I'm sneaking out of the house? I'll probably only stay for a little while. I mean, the party started a while ago and the Professor hasn't even gone to bed yet. I'm afraid to leave before he goes to bed. I mean, he might come in here."

"Why do you even want to go to this party?"

Buttercup shrugged. "Well, I don't know. Seems like all I've been thinking about lately is Blossom. I just want to get out of this stupid house and get my mind off everything."

"But what if the kids there start making stupid jokes like they did at school?"

"Well, that crossed my mind. But I'm just going to punch whoever cracks one joke and be done with it."

Bubbles sighed and then climbed into bed. She pulled her little worn out Octi doll towards her, which she slept with every night for the last ten years. "Well, just be careful. I won't tell the Professor, but if you get caught, I'm not helping you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Buttercup settled down under the covers and waited patiently. Bubbles' light went out, but Buttercup left hers on as she waited. When her supersonic hearing picked up the sound of stairs creaking, she sat up, her breathing actually ceasing. She heard the Professor's door close and knew he was settling into bed. Quietly, she climbed out of bed and stuffed a couple of pillows under her covers just to be safe, then turned out the light. She very carefully went over and opened the window, and then floated down to the ground with ease. As she walked towards Robin's house Buttercup could only hope that whatever music she was playing wasn't too loud, what with the Professor being right next door.

Buttercup flew up and over the tall hedge that separated the property lines, and then saw that Robin was already outside, greeting new guests that were arriving. She waved happily at Buttercup once she saw her making her way across her driveway.

"How many people are going to be here?" Buttercup asked eagerly.

"Not many. About ten or eleven. Why? You nervous about the Professor catching you?"

"Yeah, I mean…this party's right next door and if it gets too loud over here, who knows? I know the Professor is a heavy sleeper, but I just want to be safe."

"Don't worry, I'll keep the music within a reasonable volume. I certainly don't want the cops busting us."

Buttercup nodded, feeling a bit relieved.

"Well, come on," said Robin hastily as she grabbed Buttercup's arm and led her inside. The green Puff could already hear the music playing from the den as they stepped through the front door. Robin had an elongated table set up near the corner of the living room, bowels of candies, snacks, and plastic cups residing on it. Buttercup wasted no time in fixing herself a collection of snacks.

"So, your sister really under some kind of mind control, or is she just in love with him or something? 'Cause I know Blossom likes the smarties."

"I'm about to give _you _a smartie right in your jaw!" Buttercup snapped, whirling around and pulling back her fist to punch whoever had mouthed off. She had been expecting it, but she didn't think the cruel remarks would start the second she walked through the door.

"Stop, Buttercup," Robin scolded, quickly grabbing Buttercup's arm. "Shane, beat it, alright? Or this will be the last party I ever invite you to."

The boy shrugged and walked off with one of his buddies, who started laughing after only a few short seconds. Buttercup could only imagine what kind of stupid jokes they were making.

"Don't mind Shane. You know how he is."

Buttercup popped a few pieces of candy in her mouth. "I'm surprised you actually had a crush on that idiot."

"Oh come on, that was sixth grade. Back then I liked the stupid but cute guys. Now I favor intellectuals."

Buttercup snorted. "Yeah, well good luck with that. We don't have a lot of them around this town."

Robin led Buttercup into the den, where there wasn't such a heavy flow of traffic. "I'm glad you decided to come," she said. "I know things haven't been easy."

Buttercup shrugged. "I don't know…I guess it has its perks. I mean…I'm kind of the leader now," she said with a laugh. "It's weird. Blossom and I fight so much, and so many times I've said right to her face that I wish she'd just disappear and never come back. Now I'm really sorry I ever said that."

Robin remained silent.

"We argue so much, and now that's she's not here anymore I realize how much I need her. Maybe I should just make a promise right now to never fight again with her."

"Oh be realistic, Buttercup. Look, Blossom knows you love her, and she loves you. There's nothing you could ever say or do that would change that. So stop torturing yourself," Robin reassured, giving Buttercup a light, affectionate shove, something Buttercup had always done with her. She then looked up as she heard the song change in her stereo. "Oh, something we can dance to. Come on. It'll get your mind off everything." The girl grabbed Buttercup by the arm and dragged her along.

0ooooooo0

Bubbles floated down the stairs and drifted into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and fumbled around for the carton of milk. She squinted at the clock on the microwave as she reached for a clean glass. She figured Buttercup would be coming home any time. It was already after one o' clock, and she figured the party had to be over or was just now coming to an end.

The blonde was about to float back up to her room but she was startled as the lights to the kitchen suddenly went on.

"Oh!" the Professor yelped, not expecting to find the kitchen already occupied. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh uhh…j-just getting a glass of milk," Bubbles responded rather nervously.

"Are you alright? You seem a little jumpy."

Bubbles shook her head quite rapidly as she tried to make her way past the Professor. "N-No, I'm not jumpy. Why on Earth would I be jumpy? Nothing to be jumpy about here."

She tried to make a beeline for the stairs but the Professor managed to grab her pajama top. "Hold it, missy. What's got you so worked up?"

"Nothing, Professor," Bubbles replied innocently, trying her best to use her helpless little girl eyes, but the man had formed a defense against that over the years.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Notreallybye," the blonde blurted out at top speed as she tried to leave again, but the Professor refused to let her go.

"Come on, Bubbles."

Bubbles tried to calm her nerves, though it proved to be an uphill challenge. She had never been very good at lying, and it wasn't exactly something she was comfortable doing either. And the Professor was good at sensing when someone was lying. "I…I just had a bad dream was all. No big deal."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. Positive. Good night, Professor."

Bubbles managed to make it back upstairs where she nearly cursed Buttercup under her breath for not already being back. She watched the window with growing impatience as she downed her milk in three, quick gulps. "Come on," she muttered.

"Honey?"

Bubbles nearly jumped out of her skin for a second time that night. She looked towards the Professor, her face clearly the expression of panic. The Professor wasn't sure what to make of it.

"What did you dream about? It must have been pretty bad."

As the Professor stepped into the room Bubbles felt her heart leap into her throat. "W-Well…it's hard to explain, really. In fact…I really don't remember it that well."

The Professor took a seat on the bed next to Bubbles. "Well, you must remember _something, _otherwise you wouldn't be this scared. Was it a monster?"

"Well…I don't know…"

The Professor's head whipped around when he heard something knock against the window, and saw with shock that it was Buttercup, who had an expression to match the Professor's. She instinctively ducked, though she knew the Professor had to have seen her.

"Was that Buttercup?"

"What was Buttercup?" Bubbles replied, trying to appear ignorant. The Professor got up and rushed over to Buttercup's bed to pull back the blankets, but only saw a pile of pillows. Looking quite angry, he rushed over to open the window. "Buttercup, get your butt in here right now, young lady!" he yelled. It didn't take long before a defeated Buttercup slowly floated into the room, her shoulders slumped forward. "Where were you?"

"I'm sorry, Professor. I went to a party next door."

The Professor exhaled slowly. "I see. I'm guessing the parents weren't home?"

"Well…no. But before you start, I just want to say there was no booze or pot, or any of that stuff."

"Buttercup, I don't care." The Professor glanced over at Bubbles. "And I take it you knew about this?"

Bubbles nodded slowly, hanging her head.

"Well, you're both grounded, then."

"Come on, Professor. It's not Bubbles' fault. I asked her not to tell."

"But she didn't have to do it. You're both grounded tomorrow."

Buttercup sighed as she threw herself down on her bed. "I know Blossom wouldn't have lied for me," she said with a laugh. "She would've busted me before I could even set foot outside."

A knowing look came upon the Professor's face. "I see. So this is about Blossom? Are you acting out because she's not here anymore?" he asked calmly.

Buttercup sat up, looking slightly offended by the remark. "'Acting out'? I just went to a party. It's not that big a deal. I didn't do any drugs or anything, and geez, it was right next door. It's not like I went to Chicago or something. I just….I needed something to get my mind off…"

"Blossom," the Professor finished for her.

Buttercup looked away. "Okay…so maybe it _is _about Blossom. It's not because I'm angry at her. I mean…I was, but…I'm not angry anymore. If I was then maybe I _would_ act a little more eccentric, but that's not what I'm doing. I just want to forget she's not here anymore! I miss her not being here. That's why I've been getting out of the house as much as possible. And heck, as crazy as it sounds, I kind of miss arguing with her."

The Professor finally sat down next to Buttercup. "I understand that," he began. "But I don't want to see you hanging out with the wrong crowd."

"I wasn't hanging out with the wrong crowd! It was Robin and our friends at school!"

"Well, I know that, Buttercup. But I think you're vulnerable now."

Oh how Buttercup hated that term. The Professor smiled sheepishly when he saw the look of distain cross Buttercup's face. "Blossom is a big influence on both you and Bubbles, and I just don't want to see you make the wrong choices."

"I'm not stupid, Professor."

The Professor smiled and pulled Buttercup into a hug, placing his chin on her head. "I know, honey. I know it's been hard," he said with a sigh. "Listen, Ms. Keane wants us to come over to her house next week for dinner. That'll give all of us something to do and help get our minds off everything. How does that sound?" The Professor looked from Buttercup over to Bubbles, who already looked brightened by the idea.

"Sounds good," Buttercup replied, finally cracking a smile.

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **Holy crap! Eight reviews for chapter 8! Normally I get about four, but I was very pleased. Eight is a lot for this story. I'm a happy writer.

I apologize for there not being really any Mojo/Blossom interaction in this chapter, but this chapter is mainly just showing what the other characters are doing with their lives and how they are coping. And…I'll admit, it's kind of a filler chapter lol. But I didn't think it would hurt to pull away from Mojo and Blossom for at least one chapter. They'll be in the next chapter though.


	10. Depression

_Chapter X_

**Depression**

Him stared at the article in outright astonishment. Blossom living with Mojo? Was this some sort of joke? And worst of all, Him realized that Blossom had been under Mojo's roof for months, and he was just now finding out about this. Of course it made sense. Him had secluded himself for a few months after having put on weight. As over obsessive as he was about his figure, he made it a priority to knock off the weight, therefore putting his villainy and pretty much his entire social life on hold. After all, Him liked looking good when he was being evil.

However, he now felt like a fool. He was usually the one who knew everything, and now come to find out he had been completely oblivious to one of the biggest stories to ever hit Townsville. He threw down the magazine in a fit of rage as he reached for the phone, wanting to get the full story from Mojo.

"You better answer, you little twerp," he growled in a dangerously masculine tone as he placed the receiver against his ear.

0ooooooo0

Mojo jumped slightly as he heard the loud ringing from the telephone. He lowered his newspaper and leaned over to look at the caller ID; it read, "Unknown."

Mojo shrugged, figuring it was probably a telemarketer, but only seconds after the ringing had stopped, it started back up again. This caught Mojo off guard, as telemarketers usually did not continue calling. Still, he tried to ignore the grating noise and continued reading his paper. When the phone rang for the third time, Mojo speculated that it may have been Him, as Him's ID had always showed up as "Unknown".

Mojo started to reach for the phone but stopped himself. He could sense the call was urgent, and Him made Mojo nervous enough even when he was calm.

"Mojo, answer this phone or DIE!!" Him yelled into the answering machine. Mojo quickly grabbed the phone and put it to his ear.

"Yes, yes, what is it?"

"_Why didn't you tell me she was living with you?" _

Mojo let out a breath. He had a feeling that was the reason for calling. Mojo had felt fenced in plenty of times in the past, but he had no idea how he was going to get out of this one. "I…I really do not have a definite answer to that."

"_Mojo, you have her! You can destroy her! This is exactly how I had it planned! I can easily take out her sisters! Are you try to hog all the glory or something?"_

"She is my prisoner. Which is to say that she is living under my authority and is deprived of freedom. This is my revenge. I want her to suffer they way I did before I make any plans to destroy her."

"_Alright, I get that. But I'm still not understanding why you didn't tell me. I can still destroy Buttercup and Bubbles. It'll be easy!" _

Mojo could feel himself beginning to sweat. He hated being in the hot seat.

"_What? Did your conscience come out of retirement or something?"_

"Ugh…I…"

"_Oh come on, Mojo! Don't go goody-goody on me now! This is our golden opportunity."_

Mojo sighed, wanting so badly to crawl into a hole. "Yes, I know. It's just…well…destroying her sisters while she is separated from them seemed like a glorious idea at first but now…it just seems a little too cruel." Mojo winced the moment those words rolled off his tongue.

_Wait, did I just say that? _he thought to himself. He put his hand to his forehead to check for a fever. _Am I losing my mind?_

"_Are you losing your mind?!" _Him shrieked. "_You're…I don't….Who the hell are you?" _the demon babbled. Mojo was mentally asking himself the same question.

"I'm sorry. I don't wish to discuss this anymore," Mojo said curtly before slamming down the phone and then burying his face in his hands.

0ooooooo0

Him pulled the phone away after hearing the abrupt click and pursuing dial tone. He slowly placed the phone back on the hook and slumped into his chair.

"It's happening," he said quietly.

0ooooooo0

Mojo felt like ripping his fur out. "What has come over me? What is it that has possessed me and made me think and feel in such a way that is contrary to my usual way of thinking?" he asked himself desperately.

'_It's because you care.'_

_No! I do not care about them! I do not care about her retched sisters! Not in the least!_

'_I know you don't care about them, but you care about her. You care about Blossom.'_

"No, no, no, NO!" Mojo dug his fingers into the soft material of the couch. "I do not care about her! She is the one I despise the most! She is the one who has made me suffer! She is the one who always foils my plans! She is the bane of my existence!"

'_But she is also the one who makes you strive to be stronger, to gain more intelligence, to continue pushing yourself to the limits. You've come to respect her over the years, while still hating her on a higher level, but in the short amount of time that she has been here, your respect and tolerance has slowly overpowered your hate.'_

"No!" Mojo's hands flew to his ears in an attempt to drown out the sound of the aggravating voice.

'_I'm inside your head, you fool. Covering your ears isn't going to silence me.'_

Mojo slowly lowered his hands, breathing heavily. "But how? Why? Why is this happening?"

'_Well, it was different before. You were constantly trying to destroy her. That was the one thing you always had on your mind. But now she is living with you, and you have no means to destroy her. Not at the moment at least. Your mind is open now; you've had time to get used to her being around you all the time without beating you to a pulp. And plus, she's a lot like you. You're both intelligent, cocky, and a bit self-centered at times. You both try to be the best at everything, and you have great ambition and persistence. The two of you couldn't be more alike.'_

Mojo shook his head violently as he jumped to his feet in a haste. "No! I refuse to let myself fall weak by her presence! Never! I will call Him back right now! I'll tell him to destroy her sisters! Just watch me!" The megalomaniac yanked the phone off the hook and let his free hand hover over the sleek dials.

'_You won't, and you know it.'_

Mojo's hand began to tremble, while a lump formed in his throat.

'_Well?'_

Defeated, Mojo slowly placed the phone back down on the hook.

'_I told you.'_

"Leave me alone." Mojo collapsed onto the couch and buried his face into one of the cushions.

0ooooooo0

Being the stubborn chimp that he was, Mojo tried not to let what his mind was telling him influence him in any way. Though he knew the truth deep down, he had quickly fallen into a state of denial. No way on Earth was he about to admit that he had any underlying feelings for Blossom. He would have sooner hung himself.

However, as time went by, Mojo was eventually distracted by Blossom's change of attitude. He was beginning to notice that ever since Blossom had visited the Professor in the hospital, her attitude had taken a negative route. Hardly ever did she speak a word whenever he came in to bring her a meal. The only time she spoke was when she needed to make a call home or wanted to use the restroom. For the first two weeks it hardly mattered to him, but after an entire month passed, it was beginning to get on his last nerve.

He strolled over to the door, not even bothering to knock as he turned the lock. "Alright, I am fed up!" Mojo shouted as he waltzed into the room and seeing Blossom lying on her bed. "Which is to say that I am beyond the point of tolerance!"

Blossom groaned. "What is it now, Mojo?"

"You!" the megalomaniac shouted to the redhead. "It's you! You don't speak! You don't do anything but lay in the bed which you are currently lounging in now! You do absolutely nothing and it's driving me insane!"

"I thought that'd make you happy," Blossom responded calmly, barely even lifting her head from her pillow. "I mean, why do you care?"

"I don't know!" Mojo shouted frantically, throwing his arms in the air as he paced the room. "Are you giving me the cold shoulder or something? Did I say something to anger you? You haven't said anything to infuriate me in weeks!"

Mojo sat down on the end of the bed, rubbing his temples. He felt Blossom finally sit up, but he wouldn't turn to face her.

"I still don't see why you care."

"Well that makes two of us," Mojo snapped. "I just want to know the reason for your sudden change in attitude."

Blossom shrugged. "I guess it has to do with the Professor…and being away from home."

Mojo rolled his eyes. "Here we go. Trying to put another guilt trip on me? Well, I'll have you know that it will not work."

"I'm not trying to put you on a guilt trip, stupid! You asked what was wrong, and I told you!"

Mojo finally chose to turn around. "That's it?" he asked. "That's why you have reduced yourself to a vegetable? Hmph." Mojo quickly got up to leave.

"Wait, where're you going?"

"Leaving of course. I have better things to do than sit here and listen to you whine about how horrible your life is."

"You are such an ass," Blossom muttered quietly to herself, but Mojo still caught the remark, and was rather surprised to hear Blossom use such language.

"What did you say?" he asked firmly as he turned around to face the redhead again, but once he did she turned away from him, crossing her arms.

"I was hoping you'd stay," she exclaimed softly. "For a minute I actually thought you cared. I mean, you were concerned enough about me not talking that you came in here to confront me about it."

"I was not concerned!" Mojo detested.

"Sure, whatever you say."

Angered and frustrated, Mojo tried to leave a second time, but Blossom stopped him yet again. "I was kind of…wanting someone to talk to," she stated with difficulty.

"Then call your family," Mojo replied gruffly.

"But you're here. I can see you. It's easier to talk to someone who's right there in front of you."

"Fine!"

Mojo came back over to the bed and sat himself down in front of Blossom, folding his legs Indian style. "You wish to talk? Talk! I have nothing else to do."

"I thought you said you-"

"I lied, alright?! I mean, sure, I could be out right now, smashing a building or robbing a bank but with you being here, I'm kind of stuck. So go ahead. Talk."

Blossom blinked in surprise as she suddenly found herself drawing a blank on what to talk about. It was not like she was expecting Mojo to actually listen, but she _did _want someone to talk to, even if that someone was her worst enemy.

"Well…I…I don't know," she began as she drew her legs to her chest. "After the Professor was in that accident, it kind of put everything into perspective for me. It took me until just now to really realize that he's not like my sisters and I. I mean, we could survive a car crash easily, but the Professor could have easily been killed, and I'm very grateful he wasn't…but what if he's not so lucky next time? Anything could happen to him! Anything could happen while I'm not with him…and…that just scares me."

"I thought I already explained this to you. You can't go on worrying about every little bad thing that may happen. Neither you nor your sisters can prevent every bad thing from happening. Buttercup and Bubbles could not stop the accident from happening, which goes to show anything can happen at any time."

"I know but…I just feel like I've really taken him for granted my entire life, and then all of a sudden I just leave and come here to live with you. Buttercup said I was being selfish…and now I'm starting to believe I was. I don't think I really considered the Professor's feelings as well as I should have."

Mojo shrugged. "Well I do not know what to tell you there." Mojo then noticed the tears welling up in Blossom's eyes, and wished deeply that he had just left when he had the chance. And before he had time to react, Blossom flung her arms around him as she started to cry.

"I don't think I can do this anymore!" she cried. "I thought I could, but Buttercup was right! I was being selfish. I can't stand being away from my family any longer! Please, Mojo! Please let me go home!"

Mojo sighed, not at all surprised that Blossom had finally cracked. He was wondering how long it would be before being away from her family would finally rip her apart.

He pried her off of him and looked at her firmly. "A deal is a deal. You should have thought it through more carefully before agreeing to do this."

Blossom buried her face in her hands. "Please!" she screamed. "Please, Mojo! I know I promised but I don't think I can handle it!"

"Tough. How do you think I felt? Every night before I finally drifted off to sleep I hoped that the next day they would find out I was innocent and finally release me, but it was four long years before that finally happened. I was not allowed to go free, and I will not allow you to go free either. You still have three years and about seven months to go."

Blossom turned and buried her face into the pillow, sobbing uncontrollably. Mojo narrowed his eyes. "Stop whining!" He got to his feet, looking down at Blossom with mild disgust. "You should be grateful I do not treat you like I was treated in prison! Be grateful I don't beat you every time you give me a little lip! Be grateful I serve you decent food! Be grateful I at least allow you to see your family once a month! I could make this a lot worse for you, Blossom! And don't think I won't hesitate to start treating you like garbage, because I will!"

Blossom slowly lifted her tear-stained face from her pillow, still trembling as she tried to control her crying. "Bite me," she said coldly, taking Mojo aback.

"What did you say to me, you little brat?"

"You heard what I said, you asshole! I said bite me!! Go to hell!!" Blossom then reached over and grabbed her lamp and flung it towards Mojo, who was able to dodge it just in time.

"You little…" Mojo stormed over and grabbed Blossom by the collar of her shirt, pulling his arm back to hit her, but he stopped, realizing what he was about to do. "Oh, you're good," he said, smirking. "You are _very _clever, my dear Blossom. Trying to get me to harm you so that the contract will be broken." Mojo released her, shaking his head. "Nice try though."

"Please! Kick me, punch me! I don't care what you do, just do it so I can go home!"

"No."

"PLEASE!"

"Shut up!"

Blossom turned and buried her face in her pillow again.

"Sob all you want, but you're not going anywhere." Mojo finally turned to leave, slamming the door on his way out like he usually did.

'_Was that really necessary?'_

_What are you talking about?_

'_Well, I mean, did you have to be so harsh? Can't you see how much she's hurting?'_

Mojo simply grit his teeth and continued on his way to the bathroom in silence. He turned on the faucet and waited until a light steam filled the room before he angrily removed his clothes and stepped in. A hot shower was the only thing he felt could calm his nerves.

0ooooooo0

For the next week, Blossom refused to speak, and getting her to eat became a challenge for Mojo. Neither one said much of anything to each other, nor did they even make eye contact. Little did Mojo know that Blossom's depression was growing deeper, and would last a lot longer than he expected.

Weeks soon turned into months, and even visits from her family were hardly enough to get her out of her depression. Though she was always glad to see them and talk to them, she was thrown right back into her depression after they left, and she always seemed worse after they left. She would cry for several hours, refusing to eat the meals Mojo brought her. It was just annoying to him at first, but as months passed, it was starting to depress him as well.

0ooooooo0

Though Mojo had thought it would never happen, he had finally been promoted to chef, and finally knowing that he would be able to put his skills to better use made his heart flutter. Of course one of the other chefs had retired, leaving a spot open but even still, Mojo had really not been there long enough to have been promoted to such a high position, but apparently the manager had remembered Mojo's advanced skills, which easily matched any trained professional's. When he returned home that same day, he told Blossom, as his need to brag and boast to the first person he saw showed no signs of dying_, _but Blossom easily sucked the excitement right out of him.

"That's great, Mojo," she said, but she didn't even bother to look up at him, and the tone of her voice was clearly that of despair. Almost instantly, Mojo was about as depressed as she was.

"Why thank you, Blossom. It means so much to me that you are so excited for me," he said sarcastically before slamming the door. Sulking, he went into the kitchen and pulled a soda out of the fridge before sitting down at the kitchen table.

This was getting ridiculous. Mojo knew that if this depression continued, it was going to spell disaster for Blossom's well-being, but then he had to question why he'd even care about something like that, even though he really already knew the answer, as his denial was still going strong. "What is the matter with me? Why would I care if Blossom is in a state of depression? I should be rejoicing! She is finally beginning to suffer! This is what I wanted all along! YES! MUAHAHAHA!!"

Mojo opened the can of soda and gulped it down in a matter of minutes. "It's time that brat really began to feel the effects of being imprisoned! It is what she deserves! I had to suffer, now it is her time to suffer!"

Mojo tapped the table top with his fingers, mulling over what he wanted to do for the rest of the afternoon and evening. He figured he could start brushing up a bit on his Japanese cooking before he had to go in to work in the morning, just for practice, or perhaps he could work on his model ships a bit more, but as he continued going over each idea of how to spend his time, he continued to imagine Blossom sitting alone in her room in her advanced depression.

"ARRGH!!" Mojo instantly crushed the soda can in a vice grip. "Why do I even have the slightest bit of pity for her?!" The megalomaniac let his head hit the kitchen table with a loud thud. "Curse her," he mumbled. "She's sucking all the fun out of this revenge."

Deciding he had to do something to occupy himself, Mojo stood up from the table and left the kitchen to retrieve a new ship to build.

0ooooooo0

Mojo made sure to find a ship that would take him several hours to construct. But instead of building it from the inside of a bottle like the ships from most of his collection, he decided to just build it from the outside and leave it as it was.

About two hours along and he was only about twenty percent of the way done, and he was certain he would have had a lot more done by that point in time if Blossom had not continued to reenter his mind. Pulling off his glasses, he left his unfinished ship on the table and began making his way to Blossom's room, a new idea in mind.

0ooooooo0

Blossom heard the door open hastily but she continued to stare at the wall in despair, uninterested in anything Mojo had to say.

"Get up," he said. Blossom was unresponsive. "I said get up, Blossom."

"Please leave me alone," Blossom finally responded, her voice barely above a whisper. Mojo sighed and grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of bed. "Let go of me. I want to be left alone."

"Come," said Mojo as he led Blossom out of the room.

"I'm not a dog, Mojo! Let me go! Where are you taking me?!"

"This depression of yours is driving me crazy! It's making _me _depressed!"

"I thought me being depressed would have made you happy."

"Tell me about it! I thought it would make me happy, too! But with you it's more like a disease! A _contagious _disease."

Blossom was surprised when Mojo brought her before a partly finished model ship, surrounded by unapplied pieces, a bottle of glue, and several other discarded tools.

"I cannot believe I am allowing this, but I would like for you to help me finish this ship."

"Why?"

"Because I'm desperate to get you back to your mild depression and out of this heavy state of depression! I would imagine that doing some sort of activity would get your mind off of your family. I'll tell you where to apply the different pieces and I'll let you put them on."

Blossom gave the activity a try, but Mojo didn't see much good come out of it. Blossom continued to look out of sorts, and highly uninterested in the activity, and eventually admitted that she did not wish to continue any further. Mojo tried to persuade her to maybe watch some TV, but she declined and wished to return to her room, to which Mojo allowed.

Well, he had tried. It was apparent that this was not something Mojo could force Blossom out of. This was a problem she was just going to have to fight on her own. He figured that perhaps she had a few more months of severe home sickness, and then maybe she will have overcome that extreme turbulence in her imprisonment and be okay for the next three years. But one year was long enough to be away from home. Mojo wondered if this was something that would continue to reoccur for several months every year, but he kept reminding himself that this was what he wanted, this was what Blossom deserved, and the treatment she was receiving was a hell of a lot better than the treatment he got in prison, so there was absolutely no reason why he should be feeling any guilt. And it was Blossom who made the offer, not him.

"That's it," he said, balling his fists. "It's not my problem anymore. She's getting her just desserts! It's not like I forced her into this! This is what she agreed to. It's all on her, so no more guilt. It's time for me to enjoy this well-deserved revenge and stop letting this guilt get to me!"

Mojo nodded with determination.

0ooooooo0

For the next month Mojo did well to ignore the problem, and as the weeks passed Blossom slowly began to weed her way out of her advanced depression. She was eating more and didn't look completely haggard every day. And when her family paid her a visit the following month, her mood really seemed to brighten.

"I'm really glad you seem to be getting out of this depression," said the Professor. "With school back in session you really can't afford to be like this. Those last two visits you really had me worried."

"Yeah, me too," added Bubbles.

Blossom sighed. "Well…I don't know…after the Professor's accident and just being away from home really took its toll on me. I thought I could handle this better, but it was really hard these last three months."

"Has Mojo been a jerk lately?" asked Buttercup. It became a mandatory question she asked every time she visited.

"No, not really. We haven't said much to each other this last month. We hardly even make eye contact. He honestly treats me like a prisoner now. Well, I mean…he treats me decent, but we don't argue anymore, or say much of anything. We just do the daily routine: bathroom and meals."

"It's hard to imagine you two even getting along," said the Professor, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well…I wouldn't call it getting along," said Blossom, shrugging. "Sure, we don't fight. But we barely acknowledge each other."

"Well, that's better than fighting," said Bubbles, who immediately sneezed after she spoke.

"Are you sick?"

"Yeah. It's nothing big. I just sneeze a lot. But the Professor kept me out of school so I wouldn't spread it around."

"Speaking of school, you two have a lot of homework you need to do. So we really need to go," said the Professor, looking at his watch.

"Aww, come on, Professor," Buttercup whined.

"No, you guys better go. I need to do some schoolwork of my own," said Blossom as she moved in to hug both of her sisters, and then the Professor. "I'll see you guys next month."

"Man, I miss summer vacation," Buttercup complained on her way out. Once the door was shut, Blossom's smile faded slightly, though her heart didn't seem to ache as much as it had been.

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **I sincerely apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. I have no excuse for it I'm afraid. Just a bad case of "I don't give a fuck". I wanted to add a few hundred words to this chapter before I decided to post it, so really there was some heavy tweaking I did to it. But I just didn't get around to it until just recently. Again, sorry.

And I know you guys are going to hate me for this, but it'll probably be another long wait before chapter 11 is posted. I've given you all the first half of the story, and now I would like to try and see if I can get to work on the second half, which could take a few months. Not saying it's going to be like 6 months until my next update. I just want to take a few weeks to see how much more I can write. I actually have chapter 11 done, but it may be a while before it's posted.


	11. Fever

_Chapter XI_

**Fever**

_The next morning…_

Mojo furrowed his brow when he heard coughing coming from Blossom's room. He unlocked the door and went inside, setting Blossom's plate of bacon and eggs on the computer desk before going over to inspect her condition. After turning on the light, it only took Mojo but a second to realize how flushed Blossom's cheeks were.

"I don't feel well," Blossom groaned, sounding as though she were in pain. She covered her mouth as she coughed again, while Mojo placed a hand to her forehead.

"Well, you most certainly have a fever. Wait here."

Just as Mojo turned to leave the room, Blossom said very weakly, "Where am I going?" She tried sitting up but found herself falling right back into the pillows. She felt incredibly dizzy, and every ounce of movement she made took all the energy she could muster. Moments later she felt something cold and slick slip into her mouth and under her tongue.

"One hundred and two," said Mojo as he looked at the thermometer. "I really don't understand how you could have fallen ill. You don't go anywhere, and you're not in contact with anyone other than myself."

"Except my family," Blossom responded hoarsely.

"And were either of them ill?"

Blossom opened her eyes very slowly and glanced at Mojo, a look of realization upon her face. "I think Bubbles said she was sick…but she said it wasn't that bad. She said she was just sneezing a lot. She didn't even look that sick."

Mojo scratched his chin. "Well of course. To Bubbles a serious illness is like having the sniffles, but for you, a normal girl without superpowers, a serious illness is just that - a serious illness. Your immune system could once tolerate tough viruses, but now you are vulnerable."

"And I have you to thank, so thank you," Blossom mumbled, her eyes drifting shut. Mojo rolled his eyes, then drew the bowel he had filled with water closer to the bed. He pulled out the washcloth and rang out the excess water.

"Here, just keep this on your forehead and do not remove it from the place from which it is resting. This should help break the fever."

"It's cold."

"Well, duh. Just stay still and rest. I will call into work and take a sick day. I will check on you in an hour."

"You don't need to stay home," Blossom said weakly, but Mojo didn't respond. After closing the door behind him he went straight to his phone to call in to work. "Wait…" he began as he placed his hand on the phone. "Why should I be so concerned for her health?"

_Yes, why? _the voice taunted. _I already know the answer of course._

'_Do not start,' _Mojo mentally argued back. '_I just can't stand sick people is all. They are repulsive and unsanitary. The sooner her illness is gone, then better.' _Mojo nodded, convincing himself that that had to be the reason.

The voice chuckled.

0ooooooo0

Mojo monitored Blossom's condition carefully, trying to figure out just what kind of illness she had picked up. She had complained of having muscle aches, as well as the chills, and adding that to the fever she had, Mojo was almost certain she had some strain of the flu. He wasn't sure if he should take her to the doctor or not, but he couldn't be sure how serious the illness was. However, when he returned late in the evening to give her something to drink, he found her passed out on the floor, regurgitation lying just next to her mouth, as well as covering her face. Mojo had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from vomiting himself. Luckily, Blossom had not rolled over onto her back when she passed out.

"Yes, we must report to the doctor tomorrow morning," said Mojo, trying not to hurl. He quickly left the room to retrieve a wet cloth, paper towels, and some disinfectant to clean up. By the time he returned, Blossom was awake and puking again.

0ooooooo0

Mojo had always hated the doctor's office. It always seemed like an eternity before the doctor could finally see him, and he always hated sitting next to someone who was busy hacking up a lung, or a woman with a screaming baby. It was enough to make Mojo want to crawl out of his skin. At first he had started going to the vet for his check ups, but it felt twice as awkward waiting to see the vet while sitting next to a St. Bernard that drooled all over the place. Plus, he just didn't feel like he belonged at the vet, though he technically _was _an animal.

The megalomaniac looked at the clock eagerly, then went back to flipping through the pages of a magazine rapidly, not really even bothering to actually read anything. He couldn't stand all the stares he was getting, but he knew it would be awkward coming into the doctor's office with a sick Blossom at his side. He held the magazine up a little higher, trying to hide his face from the annoying eyes that just would not look away from him.

The door suddenly opened and Blossom finally revealed herself. Sighing in relief, Mojo quickly got up and went to the front to pay. "So?"

"Yeah, it's the flu," Blossom replied, her voice barely audible. "Luckily it's not a severe strain, but God it feels like it." The pink Puff turned and coughed into the bend of her arm. "The doctor prescribed me an antiviral to take, so we're gonna need to pick those up at the pharmacy."

"I am well aware. That is what we came here for after all."

Mojo pulled Blossom along, eager to get out of that wretched place as quickly as possible. Luckily the pharmacy was just right across the street from the doctor's office, so Mojo hastily ushered Blossom along, eager to go in and get what was needed, then quickly return to the observatory. He knew straight away that the media had really poisoned the citizens' minds, because even as they walked across the street, they were still getting rather puzzled stares. He even heard a few whispers as they walked by.

"I am so sick of these peons staring at us like we are some kind of window display," Mojo grumbled as they made it across the street and entered the pharmacy, where the stares continued.

"Well, what were you expecting, Mojo?"

"Let us just hurry and acquire what is needed to cure your illness."

Unfortunately for the both of them, it took well over twenty minutes for the prescription to be filled. Both Mojo and Blossom had to occupy themselves by walking around the store and browsing through the isles. Unfortunately, due to Blossom's illness, it did not take her long before she had to sit down. She quickly took a seat on the wooden bench near the counter where the prescriptions were picked up, breathing heavily.

"Are you going to faint?' Mojo asked as he approached Blossom after noticing that she had stumbled over to the bench.

"I felt like it. I feel exhausted."

Mojo marched over to the counter again. "I grow tired of waiting!" he barked, having to stand on his tip toes to actually glance over the counter top. A man turned to glance at him, looking positively annoyed by the chimp's impatience. "I demand to know how much longer this is going to take?!"

"In a minute, alright?!" the man responded.

Mojo leaned back against the counter, his arms folded and his left foot tapping impatiently. Finally he just went over and had a seat next to Blossom, where the tapping of his foot continued. "You are causing me much annoyance," he grumbled in her ear.

"Me?" Blossom responded hoarsely. "I'm the one who's sick. It's not my fault. You think I want to be here, waiting for my medicine while a bunch of goony people stare at me? I want more than anything to just collapse in a bed and sleep until tomorrow."

Blossom could see someone out of the corner of her eye standing right next to her, and she knew without a doubt that whoever was standing there was obviously staring at her. "Can I help you?" she asked as she finally turned to face whoever was rudely gawking at her, seeing that it was a child.

"Are you really under some kind of mind control?" the young boy asked.

"Get lost!" Mojo yelled, shaking his fist angrily. The youngster quickly took off, yelling for his mother. "Annoying little brat."

Mojo quickly leapt to his feet when he saw that the medicine was finally ready to pick up. "Let's get out of here," he said, grabbing the bag which contained the medicine. Blossom slowly got up, not wanting to faint, then closely followed behind Mojo out of the pharmacy and back to the observatory. Needless to say, she was ready for her medicine, as well as her bed.

0ooooooo0

"Alright. You need to take one of these every four hours," said Mojo as he opened the box and pulled out a tray of pills. "That is to say that the number of pills which you are required to take should not exceed one, because that would be past the correct amount of pills to take, which is one."

"Just give me the damn pill!"

Mojo quickly shoved the pill in Blossom's hand and then handed her the glass of water. "Alright," the chimp began as he took Blossom by the arm. "Now it is important that you rest. I would also suggest later taking a hot shower, as this is therapeutic and can help open up your nasal passages."

Blossom nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good." She sneezed suddenly, causing Mojo to wince in disgust. "I definitely feel like I can sleep for about three hours."

Just before making it to Blossom's room, Mojo had to strengthen his hold on the Puff as she began to stumble a little. "My legs feel like jello," she said, trying to get her balance. Mojo held her up and guided her over to her bed, where she abruptly collapsed in a heap. Sighing, Mojo knelt down on one knee and removed his glove to feel Blossom's forehead.

"You still feel hot," he said. "I shall return," he added before getting up and leaving the room to get a clean, wet washcloth for Blossom's face. By the time he returned the redhead was already on the verge of sleep. "Stay on your back so the washcloth can reside on your forehead," he said as he folded the washcloth neatly. He pressed it gently against Blossom's forehead, then pulled the blankets up to her chest. He looked up in confusion when he heard Blossom begin to laugh.

"I can't believe you're taking care of me like this," she whispered. Mojo gritted his teeth.

"Yes, I can't believe it either."

"Sometimes you can be pretty sweet."

Blossom tried to stifle a laugh when she saw the look of repulsion cross Mojo's face.

"I am not sweet! Do not ever utter something so absurd ! I am bad! I am evil! I am-"

"I know, I know, you're Mojo Jojo."

"That is correct! I am the evilest of evil! No one is more evil than I! And it will be I who brings you to your ultimate end!"

"Yeah, you sure showed me. I mean, taking me to the doctor, taking care of my fever, tucking me in. Oh yeah, you sure showed me."

"You insolent little-"

"Calm down, Mojo," Blossom said through her soft laughter. "You're really easy to tease, you know." Blossom ceased her laughter as she suddenly turned and started coughing rather aggressively. Mojo went over and picked the washcloth up off the floor, as it had fallen from Blossom's forehead when she turned so suddenly.

"I'm not sweet," Mojo mumbled rather childishly as he placed the washcloth back on Blossom's forehead.

"No, you're right. You're not sweet at all. Because if it hadn't been for you draining my powers I wouldn't feel like I'm about to DIE RIGHT NOW!" Blossom went into another coughing fit and Mojo simply rolled his eyes.

"Do not vocalize so loudly in your condition. You are just begging to hack up a lung when you do that." Mojo stood and headed for the door. "Just stay in bed and rest," he added flatly.

0ooooooo0

Mojo rolled over onto his side and glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand. It was going on two o' clock in the morning, and he could have sworn he had been woken up by strange noises coming from down the hall, apparently from Blossom's room.

"Oh, what is she doing now?'

Mojo swung his legs over the bed and slipped into his slippers. As he made his way towards Blossom's room he could hear more strange sounds. It almost sounded like Blossom was stumbling around in there and knocking things over. He put his hand on the doorknob and pressed his ear against the door for a moment, trying to hear what exactly Blossom was doing in there. He could hear her talking to herself, though it sounded like she was actually talking to someone else. Mojo quickly unlocked the door and went inside.

"This isn't my fault, Buttercup!" Blossom was saying, stumbling around and looking rather angry. Mojo thought for a moment that she might be sleepwalking, but the more he watched her, the more he feared that she was actually hallucinating. He figured it was due to the illness, or possibly a very strange side effect of the medicine she had been taking. "I told you we weren't supposed to use our powers! What was I supposed to do?!"

Mojo stood back as Blossom ran around frantically, swinging her arms about. "Stop it, Buttercup! I'm not fighting with you!" Suddenly, Blossom fell to her knees, appearing to be out of breath and looking rather hopeless. Mojo started to approach her but she was up on her feet again and walking right out of the room. Mojo followed, but stayed at a distance.

Blossom headed towards the center of the dark, quiet observatory. The light from the crescent moon spilled in through the oval shaped windows lined up along the edge of the dome and illuminated her figure. Mojo stayed in the shadows, studying her carefully.

"Why?" he heard her ask softly. Taking a deep breath, Mojo slowly approached her, making his way around her so he could face her from the front. Her gaze was lifted upward, but the moment he stepped in front of her, her eyes were suddenly on him, as though she could see him now. "I trusted you. How could you betray us like this?"

Mojo looked rather taken aback by Blossom's remarks. He had a feeling that she could actually see him in her hallucination, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was she was hallucinating _about_.

"I trusted you. I honestly thought you cared about us! How could you take advantage of us like this?!"

At that point Mojo was almost certain that Blossom's hallucination was a memory of when he first tried to take over the world ten years ago, the day their history together began. He didn't recall her ever saying these things, but he knew it had to be the question that had been on her mind then, and every day since then.

"How could you do this? How?" she continued to ask, now on the verge of tears. Mojo was at a loss. He figured he should try and guide Blossom back to her room, but he was almost afraid to touch her. But before he could even make a rational decision, the redhead suddenly fell forward into his arms, sobbing hysterically. "Why?" she whispered again and again. Her heavy weight had caused Mojo to sink to his knees, and she easily went down with him, her arms still secure around his waist. He could only stare down at her in shock, his mouth agape. "You betrayed us," Blossom mumbled against his chest. "You…You…I hate you. I hate you!"

Mojo stayed silent and allowed Blossom to cry against his chest for well over fifteen minutes. By the time her hysterical sobs had begun to die down, Mojo saw that Blossom appeared to be asleep again, and the very strange hallucination had finally come to an end. Though Blossom had lost a few pounds, she was still taller and heavier than he was, and difficult to pick up bridal style, so he hauled her over his back, not even caring that her feet were dragging the floor. He held onto her arms that dangled over his shoulders and he carried her back to her room, while vaguely wondering if he was going to wake up with chronic back pain in the morning. He figured there was no point in mentioning the hallucination to Blossom once she woke.

Carefully, Mojo laid Blossom down on her bed and pulled the covers over her. He could vaguely feel some new type of emotion taking a hold of him, though he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Guilt perhaps? That seemed plausible. For many years he had not once thought of how his actions affected the girls ten years ago. He knew Blossom must have been the most hurt, which _did _explain her desire for him to be sent away to prison for good. While his anger towards her still festered deep within the pit of his stomach, he figured he was to blame. Yet he quickly reminded himself that it didn't justify him being sent away to prison for four years for a crime he didn't commit.

Mojo got to his feet and headed towards the door. He came to a stop just as his hand gripped the knob and he looked back for a moment. He knew in his heart and mind there was no way he could deny that he felt a small attraction towards the redhead. He was certain he'd probably burst into flames if he admitted it to anyone, but while it seemed that Blossom had always caused him the most grief, there was something to be respected. The very fact that Blossom had been the biggest thorn in his side was what he respected about her, ironically. The only reason she had always caused him the most aggravation was because of the fact that her intelligence challenged his. She could always find a way to outsmart any of his schemes, and while it deeply frustrated him, it impressed him just the same and pushed him onward, making him strive to do better.

He left the room in silence.

0ooooooo0

Blossom awoke to the cold feeling of a wet washcloth mopping her forehead. She spotted a black, green and blue blob through her blurred vision off to her right. "Mojo…?" she managed to say, though her voice was still very weak and hoarse.

"I believe your fever is beginning to go down."

Blossom moaned as she tried to push herself into a sitting position. "Yeah but…my head feels so stuffed up I feel like it's going to blow."

Mojo placed the washcloth back into the bowl of water and then took the glass of water off the nightstand. He handed a pill to Blossom, followed by the half full glass of water. "Here," he said gruffly, and the redhead graciously took the medicine.

"Thanks." As she swallowed the pill in a gulp of water, she noticed the chair that sat at the computer desk was turned over on the floor, surrounded by scattered papers that had once sat in a neat pile by the computer. "Woah, what happened?"

Mojo followed Blossom's gaze and mentally cursed himself for not cleaning up the mess last night. "Nothing. You were just sleep walking last night. I came in and you were stumbling around in your sleep."

"Oh."

It seemed believable enough. Mojo had first assumed that she had been sleepwalking after all, so he was glad to see Blossom quickly accept the answer.

"Do you have any appetite at all?"

Blossom sighed. "I guess I could try and eat a bowl of soup."

"Very well."

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **I thought I'd go ahead and upload this chapter, even though I haven't been working on the story like I said I would. I've sort of lost interest in it. This doesn't mean I'm going to delete it of course. I'm sure my interest will come back, but it's going to be difficult to write this story when I'm not that into it. It's not that I've backed myself into a corner or anything. I just don't have the willpower right now. We'll see what happens.


	12. Sleeping With the Enemy

_Chapter XII_  
**Sleeping With the Enemy**

Mojo glanced at the calendar on his wall. He found it hard to believe that Blossom had been with him for close to two years now. Nothing had really changed over the course of a year. The routines were still the same. Blossom still kept in touch with her family, and they still visited once a month. Blossom had never again fallen into a serious depression like she had before, but that didn't mean she was ever very happy while living under Mojo's roof. So she tried to make the best of what company she had, but there were small periods of time when she would slip into a mild depression, but it was never anything that the teen could not pull herself out of.

Mojo wanted nothing to do with her, however. More so than ever, in fact. He tried to stay out of contact with Blossom as much as possible, trying to avoid any conversation the Powerpuff tried to strike up by saying he was busy and that he had something to work on. It was really a futile effort, living under the same roof and all, but upon discovering his underlying feelings for the Powerpuff a year ago, Mojo didn't even want to look at her anymore, fearing she would suck him in even more. Now he was even regretting agreeing to letting her offer herself up as a prisoner.

It was safe to say that this last year had been an awkward one. He hoped that as soon as her four year sentence was up, his desire to destroy the Powerpuff would quickly overpower whatever ridiculous feelings he had for her. For right now he had done a fine job of convincing himself that his feelings weren't any sort of romantic feelings, but instead a forever present respect for her that seemed to really come into light the moment she arrived, but the annoying voice in his head was doing a fine job of telling him otherwise.

0ooooooo0

Mojo walked into Blossom's room, holding her lunch in one hand, which happened to be a sandwich, as it usually was. He noticed her standing up and looking out the window with a very fixed gaze.

"What is it that has currently captured your attention? Which is to say, what is so interesting that it has caused you to stand there and stare out the window at this very moment?"

"There's a monster attacking Townsville!" Blossom responded fearfully. Mojo set the food aside and came over to the window to have a look for himself. Several hundred yards away he spotted the dinosaur-like creature, as well as the green and blue streaks constantly flying about just above the monster's head. "I should be out there helping them!"

"That would be foolish, as you do not have your superpowers."

"I know that!" Blossom yelled angrily, still keeping her attention on the monster. "Hang in there, girls."

"You are only making it harder on yourself if you continue to watch."

When he didn't get a response, Mojo turned away and began heading for the door.

"Uh-oh," he heard Blossom say. He stopped and turned around, suddenly curious now.

"What do you mean, 'Uh-oh?'"

"They're coming towards us."

Eyes wide, Mojo rushed back over to the window, pushing Blossom to the side. "Oh my," he said as he saw the large creature step closer and closer towards his observatory. He saw Buttercup strike a powerful blow to the monster's chin, and the creature spun around, its large tail swinging right towards the observatory. Mojo leapt forward and pushed Blossom down to the floor just as the tail crashed through the room, debris piling on top of them and burying them in an instant.

Seeing the damage, Bubbles flew into the observatory and started digging through the debris. "Blossom?!" she shouted. "Blossom, are you there?!"

"I'm okay," Bubbles heard her sister say, though her voice sounded smothered. The blonde dug through the debris faster and soon found her sister reaching her hand out to her. Bubbles quickly grabbed her hand and helped pull her out.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bubbles asked as she looked her sister over.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Help me," Blososm replied as she quickly turned her attention to trying to dig Mojo out of the debris as well. "Mojo's still under here!"

Bubbles mimicked Blossom's actions, and they both soon found Mojo under several large pieces of metal, looking positively pissed. "Are you alr-"

"I'm fine," Mojo snapped before Blossom could even finish. "Just peachy. Nothing like having the roof of my observatory cave in on top of me." Mojo pushed the debris away in anger, then turned his attention towards the large opening in the dome. The damage was severe, and he was certain it would take quite some time to repair.

"Come on, Bubbles!" Buttercup shouted in frustration as she appeared in front of the damaged observatory. "That stupid monster is getting away!"

"Sorry, I was just checking on our _SISTER!_" the blonde Puff shouted in annoyance. Buttercup looked rather sheepish for a moment before looking to Blossom.

"Sorry 'bout that, sis. Glad to see you're okay." Buttercup looked over to the disgruntled chimp. "And I'm _sorry_ to see _you're _okay," she added with a smirk.

"Buttercup, please don't start," Blossom begged. She saw Mojo stagger to his feet, fists clenched.

"You should have to repair my observatory, you little brat!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger her way. "You are the one who steered that beast into my home!"

"How 'bout I steer my fist into your mouth, Monkey Boy?"

"SHUT UP!" Blossom intervened. "Seriously, enough already! You don't have time to sit around and argue! You have to take care of that monster before it destroys the rest of Townsville!"

"Yeah, and to think we could have probably defeated the monster a long time ago, but a certain someone decided to go live with our worst enemy!" Buttercup shot back before finally flying after the monster, leaving Blossom to stare regrettably at the empty sky where Buttercup once floated.

"She's never going to let me hear the end of it," the redhead finally said. Bubbles patted her shoulder, but she really couldn't stick around to offer her sister any comforting words this time.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," she said quickly before flying off after Buttercup. Blossom sighed and managed to pull herself to her feet. She looked over to Mojo and saw his lips moving at a fast pace, though no words were audible. Just looking at his furious expression she figured he was mouthing all sorts of curses and insults, which were most likely directed at her dark-haired sister. She really couldn't blame him.

"Well…" she began, looking up at the large hole in the ceiling.

"I am going to go observe the rest of the damage," Mojo snapped before leaving the room. He could see that the damage clearly extended to other parts of the observatory, much to his dismay. Blossom slowly followed behind. "Great!" she heard the chimp yell angrily, throwing his hands in the air. "This will take days to repair!"

"I can help," offered Blossom nervously.

"Oh, do not worry, I had already planned to have you help me," Mojo quipped, still glowering at the severe damage.

Blossom just nodded.

0ooooooo0

Blossom carefully balanced herself on the exceptionally tall ladder from within the observatory. The sheet of metal she had tucked under her arm was heavy and certainly made it difficult for her to climb the rungs, but she still managed to make it to the top to hand it off to Mojo. He gave no thanks as she ran up and down the ladder again and again, retrieving pieces of metal of all sizes and practically killing herself to get back up, but she knew he was still pissed and she didn't want to push him.

"Annoying little Powerpuff brats," he muttered again and again as he slammed the mallet down onto the bolts to secure the plates in place. "They should be doing this, not I."

It was the first time Blossom really saw what Mojo must have had to put up with every time they had busted in in the past to put a stop to whatever plot he had conjured up. He obviously had to repair his observatory on a weekly basis, and by himself at that. It had to be a pain.

"Umm…" Blossom began quietly, forcing Mojo to cease what he was doing and turn to glare at her.

"What?!" he yelled, causing her to wince.

"I…ugh…just wanted to say…thanks for saving me," she said.

"Save you? Debris must have fallen on your simple little head a little too hard, for I did not, nor would I ever dream of doing something so contrary to my nature as save the likes of you." He snorted. "Fool."

Blossom narrowed her eyes. "You can deny it all you want, but you _did _save me. You pushed me down right before that monster's tail took my head clean off."

Mojo threw his head back and laughed. "I was just trying to get the hell out of the way! And you just happened to be standing there when I threw myself to the ground and so I accidentally knocked you out of the way in the process, thus resulting in the _accidental _saving of your miserable life, for I would never do something so stupid deliberately."

"Oh, come off it, Mojo! I swear, if you backpedal any faster, you're going to fall right off the roof!"

Mojo felt his face growing hotter and hotter by the second. "I did not save you!" he insisted. He replayed the memory again and again in his mind, becoming more and more furious with himself.

"Yes, you did!"

"Shut up!"

Blossom sighed, rolled her eyes, and let the subject drop. She had fought enough with Buttercup in the past to know when to just drop it, but she knew Mojo knew the truth as well. He saved her life. There was no denying it.

After four hours of work, Mojo declared it quitting time. He figured if they put in four hours of work every day, the repairs would be complete within three day's time. Normally he would have been done by now, but the damage was just too much. Practically the entire living room was exposed to the elements. His bedroom was one of the few places that survived the damage.

"Well, I can't sleep in my room. I don't have a ceiling. Is there anywhere else I can sleep?" Blossom asked.

"Are you afraid of a little rain?" Mojo teased.

"Not nearly as much as a bird flying overhead and pooping right into my mom while I sleep," the redhead muttered, smirking when Mojo made a disgusted face.

"Well, I am afraid there is no other place for you to sleep."

"Except your room," Blossom pointed out, not surprised by Mojo's "Hell no" expression. "Just until we get my room fixed."

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Quit being a baby!"

"I can put tarp over the roof," Mojo suggested, desperate now to not share a room with the Puff.

"And what if it blows off? Come on, Mojo, it's not going to kill you."

Mojo folded his arms over his chest. "Will you sleep on the floor?"

"Oh, come on, Mojo! I've seen your bed. It's huge! There's plenty of room for us to both sleep in it and still have plenty of space between us!"

"I would sooner stick my head in a trash compacter."

Blossom's hand flew to her face. "Mojo…" she groaned. Why did he have to be so damn stubborn?

"Fine!" he finally said. "As long as you stay on your side and do not touch me."

"Oh, darn," Blossom replied in mock disappointment, "_now _how will I seduce you?"

Eye twitching, Mojo brushed past the redhead without saying a word. He was _not _looking forward to this.

0ooooooo0

After completing her regular preparations for bed, Blossom slowly made her way into Mojo's room, where she found the chimp already preparing the bed for their stay and fluffing the pillows. Once he acknowledged her, he scowled.

"Hello to you, too," Blossom mumbled as she made her way towards the bed.

"You sleep on that side," said Mojo curtly, pointing to the right side of the bed. He went around to the left side and sat down, tossing off his slippers. "And _stay _on your side," he ordered. Blossom only rolled her eyes and climbed into bed, which felt much more comfortable than the mattress she had to sleep on every night.

After making sure the alarm clock was set, Mojo turned off the light and fell back into the pillows.

"Good grief, Mojo," Blossom said after a moment's silence. "You could put a truck between us," she said, noticing just how close to the edge Mojo was. "If you so much as roll over a centimeter, you're going to fall right off the bed."

"Shut up and go to sleep," the chimp mumbled.

"You're such a baby," the Puff replied before turning her back to the villain and shutting her eyes.

"Am not," Mojo shot back quietly.

Blossom didn't debate the subject any further and just remained silent. She had to admit that this definitely felt awkward. It felt a little too awkward, in fact, and she wasn't sure how long it'd take for her to fall asleep due to her discomfort. She sneered when she heard Mojo's breathing even out. It certainly didn't take _him _long to fall asleep, which was odd considering all of the complaining he did about sleeping with his worst enemy. She had figured he'd be lying there for quite some time, staring at the wall in anger, just as uncomfortable as she was.

Blossom went still when she felt the weight of the bed shift and figured Mojo had turned on his other side, facing her. Curious, she turned over as well and saw that the scowl had vanished from Mojo's face, and instead was peaceful and relaxed. She didn't think it was possible that Mojo of all people could look innocent while he slept, but he did.

After silently watching Mojo slumber for several minutes, Blossom finally began to relax. It wasn't long before she achieved her sleep as well.

0ooooooo0

Mojo didn't need to open his eyes to know the room was lit. The alarm hadn't gone off yet but he was sure it wasn't too far off. Though he was awake, he didn't feel like getting up; his bed felt particularly comfortable this morning, and the idea of getting out of it just didn't sound good at all. He yawned again and hugged the pillow he was clutching closer to his chest. Wait…_was _that a pillow? It didn't really feel like a pillow. It wasn't very soft, and it was kind of curvy. Curious, Mojo let his hand roam up higher, where it came to rest upon a soft mound. Okay, he knew this could not be a pillow.

Opening his eyes, he sat up to see just what on Earth it was he was holding. To his horror, he saw that it was Blossom, and his hand was on her…

HOLY MOTHER FU-

Mojo leapt out of the bed in a haste, eyes wide and breathing heavily. He stared in horror at the still sleeping Powerpuff, all while fighting the urge to puke. _It was just an accident _he told himself. _Just…an accident. _He jumped when the alarm clock went off and he raced over to shut it off, knocking the lamp over and breaking it in the process.

"What in the world are you doing?" came Blossom's groggy response to the racket.

"I'm t-turning off the alarm c-clock," Mojo stuttered. He turned away from the redhead when she sat up to stretch.

"What's the matter? Why won't you look at me?"

"Nothing," Mojo squeaked.

"Are you sure? You look like you're embarrassed about something."

He couldn't tell her. Not only was it humiliating, but she wouldn't let him live it down after giving her so much grief about her staying on her side of the bed.

"I assure you, it's nothing."

"Liar."

Mojo clenched his fists. "I am not lying. The words I speak are one hundred percent fact and are in no way lacking in truth."

"Give me a break, Mojo, you look like you just saw a ghost. Now what is it?"

The chimp sighed and let his shoulders fall forward. "Fine," he snapped. "But if you make the smallest crack, your death will be more painful than I originally planned." He cleared his throat. "I woke up this morning and…I…I was sleeping rather close to you."

Blossom raised an eyebrow. "There has to be more."

"Well…myarmwasaroundyou," he said very quickly. He wasn't even going to mention the part about his hand being on her breast. That little detail was going to remain in the very back of his mind until the day he died.

"I see," the teen said, a smile creeping upon her face. Mojo quickly pointed a finger at her, warning her not to laugh. "It's no big deal. It's not like you did it on purpose," Blossom said reassuringly.

"I was spooning with my worst enemy!"

"Oh no! It's the end of the world!" Blossom shook her head and threw the covers off herself. "I'm going to go wash my face."

As soon as Blossom left the room, Mojo sighed in relief, finally glad that she was out of his presence. He knelt down on the floor and began the process of cleaning up the broken shards of his lamp, making a mental note that he'd have to buy a new one soon. As he carried the shattered remains out of the room to throw them in the garbage, he found himself surprisingly agreeing with Blossom's words. It _was _just an accident. It was no big deal. He had obviously maneuvered himself in his sleep and latched onto her, subconsciously thinking that she probably _was _a pillow. A delicate, beautiful, sweet-smelling pillow that he wanted to beat and kick and punch and rip to shreds. Right?

For some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to agree with that mental image.

_Curses._

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yes, I totally added the bit with Mojo unknowingly squeezing Blossom's boobie just for the lulz :D

And I'm sorry, but I really needed to skip ahead a quite a bit. I know skipping a year is a big leap, but like I said, I can't possibly describe every little thing that happens during a four year time span, or even just a one year time span because the story will just keep dragging on. I want to get to the really good stuff, which still hasn't happened yet, and I also want Blossom to be a bit older.


	13. Two Sides of the Same Coin

_Chapter XIII _  
**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

_Two months later…_

For the last few weeks, Mojo had one of his high tech lasers parked near the far side of the room, pointed directly out towards the city. After spending three days repairing his roof, he was _not _about to let another monster come near his observatory. He had the laser set on level 10, which he figured was high enough to blow any creature to smithereens should it set foot near his home. He had to resist the urge to use it against Buttercup when she and her family last visited, as she couldn't keep her tart tongue in her mouth for five minutes after she set foot inside his home. Though he succeeded in not trying to kill the Powerpuff, he was certain his suppressed anger would surely cause a brain tumor.

Blossom had done well not to tease Mojo about his unintentional spooning with the Powerpuff, but he still felt the need to insist on her not saying a word to her family when they visited. Of course, Blossom knew better than to do that. She could just see the Professor's head exploding at the thought of them sharing a bed together, no matter what the circumstances. She didn't even want to think of how Buttercup would react.

Right now, things were calm and dull. Mojo sat silently on the couch, flipping through the channels with very little interest. Even with a job now, he still found himself bored out of his mind when he came home. There were many times he wanted to go out, but he didn't like leaving Blossom alone, even when he went to work. He always feared she'd try to escape while he was gone, which really made it hard for him to concentrate at work. But he constantly reminded himself that there was no way she _could _escape. The door was locked, and the window could not open. But aside from his invalid fear of her escaping, she just couldn't be left alone all the time; she needed her meals and bathroom breaks. There truly were more disadvantages to having her as his prisoner. He practically felt like a prisoner himself, a prisoner in his own home.

Looking at the clock, Mojo noted that it was past six o' clock, and once the time registered, he finally realized that he was starving; he hadn't eaten anything since noon. He quickly got up and started making his way towards the kitchen, knowing he would have to prepare something for Blossom as well. He grabbed a plate out of the cabinet and then went over to the fridge. He pulled out a packet of ham and grabbed the jar of mayonnaise, taking both items over to where his plate sat. He managed to get just one slice of ham out of the packet before his hands went still. He stared blankly at the lunch meat, suddenly becoming rather sickened by the idea of another cold sandwich. Pretty much all he ate now was sandwiches and TV dinners. After spending hours cooking at a restaurant for other people, the idea of cooking for himself didn't sound too thrilling. He really wanted a nice, decent, hot meal but didn't exactly have the will power to spend thirty minutes making it himself.

"That settles it!" he said as he slammed his fist down onto the counter. "I am going out to eat tonight!"

Mojo turned and quickly made his way to Blossom's room to inform her that he was going out. He knocked twice, and then opened the door, finding the Powerpuff lounging on her bed, staring off into space.

"I'm going out tonight," Mojo stated quickly. Blossom finally brought her attention to him and just nodded.

"Okay. How long will you be gone?"

"A couple of hours. I'll serve you your dinner first, and then I shall leave."

Blossom nodded again. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business," Mojo snapped before quickly closing the door. He returned to the kitchen and finished preparing the sandwich, which had originally been intended for himself. He grabbed the jug of milk out of the fridge and poured some into a glass. Taking the plate in one hand and the beverage in the other Mojo made his way back to Blossom's room, balancing the milk on the plate for a moment so he could open the door. "Alright, here," he said, walking over and holding the food out to Blossom.

"Oh…just leave it on the desk. I'll get to it in a minute," she said quietly. Mojo shrugged and went to place the food on the desk near the computer. He glanced at the redhead again curiously, but his hunger quickly dragged him out of the room again.

"I should be back no later than eight o' clock."

Blossom didn't even nod in understanding this time. She only stared out the window with a somewhat longing expression. Mojo didn't wait for a response and quickly shut and locked the door. He made his way to his bedroom and opened his closet, where he found the large safe on the floor. Getting down on one knee, Mojo reached out to turn the knob several times before the door clicked open. The chimp couldn't believe how much money had accumulated since he had started working. Looking at the large sums of cash, he could hardly believe that none of it was stolen. The fact that he had earned every last dollar honestly felt pretty good, as disturbing as that was to him.

Mojo gathered a variety of bills: a few twenties, several ones, a couple of fives and a fifty. He placed the bills neatly in his wallet, and then went to change his clothes. Once that was done, he grabbed his house keys and started to make his way out. As he passed Blossom's room, he slowly came to a halt. Here he was, about to go out and have a wonderful dinner in a nice restaurant, while he left Blossom locked up with just a cold sandwich to eat. Great. Why did he have to feel guilty _now_? Why did he ever have to feel guilty at all, in fact? What _was _it about her that twisted his heart from one direction to the other?

"No," he told himself. "She is a prisoner. She is lucky to be fed even a sandwich!" Mojo took two steps forward but stopped again. "Curse…this...guilt," he said through gritted teeth, face turning red. "She will be the death of me." He crossed his arms, his fingers digging painfully into his skin. "She's a prisoner," he reminded himself again. He didn't know _how _many times he had to remind himself of this fact ever since she had set foot into his observatory. "Prisoners do _not _get special treatment." He nodded and then started making his way for the door again, but he didn't get far. "Curses!" he yelled, stomping his foot. He went over to the couch and grabbed a cushion, placing it to his face before letting out a high pitched scream. Once that was out of his system, he slowly made his way towards Blossom's room. "I know I am going to be sore in the morning."

Mojo entered Blossom's room once again, causing the teen to look over in surprise. Mojo saw that the sandwich hadn't been touched.

"I thought you left," said Blossom, clearly a bit puzzled by Mojo's presence, and not to mention his rather nauseated expression.

"I…I should not leave you here alone," Mojo stated.

"Why? You've left me alone plenty of times. Seriously, Mojo, where am I going to go? I can't escape."

Mojo shifted his weight from one foot to the other anxiously. "It's just a precaution," he lied. "That is to say that I am playing it safe and would feel better if you were under my supervision, for if you are not under my supervision then I cannot possibly make sure you do not plan some sort of escape, as escaping would be much easier if I were not here to supervise you, thus why you will be accompanying me to make supervising you much easier."

"Mojo…did you not hear what I just said? I can't escape! What am I supposed to do? Break the window and jump out? Yeah, _that'll _put me in a wheelchair."

Mojo blushed slightly. "Well…it does not matter! You are coming with me!"

"Oh, fine," Blossom sighed. "Where are we going, anyway? Or is that still none of my business?" the teen said curtly, earning a nasty glare from her enemy.

"We are going out to eat, smart-alack. So put on some nicer clothes. I'll call for a cab."

0ooooooo0

Blossom followed Mojo out the door and waited for him to lock up. She followed him down the stairs and towards the cab that was already parked near the sidewalk. They both slid into the backseat, already prepared for the odd looks they were bound to receive from their cab driver.

"Where to?" he asked flatly.

"Townsville Fine Foods," Mojo answered as he fastened his seatbelt. He leaned back against the seat and silently stared out the window. Blossom did the same. The cab driver continuously glanced at them through the rearview mirror curiously.

"So…ugh…are you two dating or something?" he asked, causing both Mojo and Blossom to stiffen. "I mean, lots o' rumors have been goin' 'round about you two."

"And only idiots listen to rumors," Mojo replied, continuing to stare out the window.

"Hey, I ain't sayin' I believe all the rumors I'm hearin'. I'm just wonderin'!"

"Look, just drive the damn cab and do not talk!" Mojo shouted, finally having enough. The man quickly turned his attention to the road again and didn't say another word. Blossom slumped down in her seat, suddenly feeling very boxed in. Though the drive was only about ten minutes, it felt like it had taken hours. Mojo paid the fare and practically threw himself out of the car. "Perhaps this was a bad idea," he mumbled to Blossom once she came to stand on his right.

"Why?" the teen responded, though a part of her couldn't help but agree with the chimp.

"Well…I mean, I think I should have just left you back at the observatory. You remember the last time we were seen together in public. People couldn't take their eyes off of us."

"If they stare, then just ignore them."

"Easier said than done," Mojo mumbled as he started making his way towards the entrance. As they both stepped inside the restaurant, they were greeted by a young hostess, who couldn't help but show her surprise at seeing the two notorious citizens together. She was no stranger to the rumors and magazine articles either, but she made no comment about their presence and simply welcomed them.

"Smoking, or non?"

"Non," Mojo answered. "And…is there an area a bit more private?" he asked, not wanting to be anywhere close to the restaurant's main crowd, but the hostess blushed slightly, thinking there were other reasons behind his request.

"Umm…sure, right this way," she said as she grabbed a couple of menus and led them towards the left side of the restaurant. Both Mojo and Blossom kept their attention to the front and kept from looking at the other customers they passed. The hostess led through a entryway and into another room, about half the size of the main dining area. It wasn't totally private, as there were a couple of people in the room, but it was empty for the most part. They took a seat at the far end of the room, away from the other people. "Shelly will be taking care of you tonight. Please enjoy your meals."

About thirty seconds after the hostess left, Shelly approached their table with a notepad and pen already handy. "Hello," she said, trying to hide her surprise. "Can I get you something to drink while you decide?"

"Sweet tea with lemon," Mojo answered as he flipped open his menu.

"I think I'll just have plain water," said Blossom. The woman nodded as she jotted down the drinks and then quickly went to retrieve them.

"Ribeye looks good," Mojo mumbled casually to himself.

"This is weird," said Blossom as she looked over the menu. "I'm supposed to be a prisoner, and you take me out to dinner."

"Yes, well, I forgot to tell you the part where I'm planning on suffocating you with a plastic bag afterwards and then tossing your body into the ocean. I thought the least I could do was give you one last decent meal."

Blossom's face suddenly paled slightly and Mojo rolled his eyes, though he looked a bit amused.

"Joke, Blossom, joke."

Blossom smiled sheepishly, relaxing again.

"Although that idea does sound tempting," Mojo commented as he hid his face behind the menu.

"How sweet."

Mojo lowered his menu and set it aside. "Did you really think I was serious?"

"Well, with you I can't be too sure."

"True. I _am_ an evil mastermind," said Mojo with a look of pride. He looked up when he saw the waitress return with a tray of drinks.

"Do you two know what you want to order?"

"I'll have the twelve ounce Ribeye, and I would like it well done," Mojo answered, handing the waitress his menu. The woman jotted down the order and then looked to Blossom, trying to keep a straight face.

"I…think I'll have the same, but I'd like it medium rare."

"I'll have it out for you real soon," the waitress said as she took Blossom's menu and headed back to the kitchen. Mojo rolled his eyes.

"Yes, 'real soon' is Restarauntanese for 'about an hour'," he said.

"Tell me about it," Blossom agreed.

Mojo pulled the lemon from his glass and placed it inside his tea, using the straw to force it beneath the ice. "I found out something rather interesting today," he began. Blossom raised her brows in curiosity. "Mark Clayton is scheduled for execution next week."

Blossom looked a bit more interested after hearing this. "Really?" she asked. "Well…about time. That's all I can say." She suddenly cringed after saying this.

"My, this from a truth and justice obsessed goody-goody?" Mojo shot at her with a crooked grin. Blossom shifted her gaze to her lap.

"It's strange, I know. All my life I've been against the death penalty…but…when I first came face to face with that…monster…all I could think about was how much I wanted to see him die…and I even made that clear to him!"

Mojo shrugged. "It's understandable, which is to say your feelings of vengeance are not uncommon and are justified given the severity of the crime. What he did even made _me _cringe."

"It's understandable that I would want someone dead? I shouldn't feel that way. No one should feel that way."

Mojo sighed in annoyance. "Stop obsessing over this. I do not know how I can possibly make you understand. You have never felt this angry against anyone else. Only this man, and it's easy to see why. So stop agonizing over this."

Blossom looked on for a moment, still appearing to be battling with her feelings. She pretended to be interested in a pepper shaker as she asked, "Why weren't _you _put on death row?"

Mojo leaned back in his seat, arching a brow. "Are you stating that you wish I _had _been?"

Blossom waved her hands around while frantically saying, "No, no, no! I'm just curious."

Mojo leaned forward again and took a sip of his tea. "They wanted to, but animal rights activists got involved. And me being on the endangered species list kind of interfered with their kill fetish. Never thought that could be a positive thing," he stated with a laugh.

Blossom suddenly felt another overwhelming wave of guilt envelope her as the thought Mojo being locked away in prison for years reentered her mind for the umpteenth time. She was beginning to wonder if her voluntary prison sentence with Mojo would even rectify her guilt. Blossom hated being wrong in general, but it was nearly impossible for her to forgive herself when her errors in judgment had dire consequences against someone else. She didn't think Mojo outright forgiving her would be enough to make things right in her own conscience.

The teen sighed and stirred the ice in her glass around with her straw. Mojo eyed her curiously, but didn't bother to strike up a conversation. It wasn't long before the waitress came out with their salads, which they were relieved for. At least now they would have something else to occupy themselves with. They both grabbed the small containers of dressing and dumped them all over their salads. Mojo next reached for the pepper shaker, while Blossom went ahead and dug into her salad.

Meanwhile, Shelly was chattering amongst one of the other waitresses in the kitchen about her special customers.

"Are they on some kind of date or something?" the other waitress asked.

"I have no clue, Sam. I mean…I've been hearing all kinds of rumors and stuff, but Blossom didn't really look distressed. I didn't see her hold up any signs with "Help me" written on it. She looked pretty calm. It was almost like she was enjoying being with him."

"Maybe it _is _mind control," replied Sam, wide-eyed. Shelly shook her head.

"I doubt it. I heard somewhere that Blossom actually _agreed _to live with him."

"Are you going to say anything?"

"Of course not. The only thing I can do is just do my job." Shelly grabbed a large plate with a T-bone steak and a baked potato and carried it out to one of her other customers, while Sam carried on with her work.

Mojo and Blossom continued eating in silence. Blossom only ate about half of her salad, wanting to save room for her steak, but Mojo put his away with no trouble and still had plenty of room for more. As he pushed his bowl aside, he looked on past Blossom, noticing a man sitting on the opposite end of the room, glancing at them every few seconds. Blossom noticed his suspicious stare and followed his gaze, craning her neck around to see who he was looking at. "What is it?" she asked, turning back to him.

"That man keeps looking over here and it is bothering me."

"Mojo, he's just like everyone else. Everyone's been looking at us. What makes this guy any different?"

Mojo shrugged. "Not sure…I just have a strange feeling about him."

"Just don't pay any attention to him."

When their steaks finally arrived some ten minutes later, Mojo couldn't have been happier. Blossom, on the other hand, could only frown, knowing she probably wouldn't be able to finish. Mojo tucked his napkin into his shirt and quickly picked up the fork and steak. He cut into the steak to make sure his was the right one, and then wasted no time in putting it away.

"This certainly beats TV dinners any day," he said before taking his first bite.

"Don't you usually bring food home from work?"

Mojo shrugged as he eagerly cut himself off another piece. "Sometimes, but it doesn't take long for me to get sick of the same food day after day. Even if said food is prepared by a professional chef such as myself."

Blossom shook her head at the chimp's momentary ego trip. She started to cut into her own steak when she noticed Mojo look on past her again. "What now?" she asked.

"He's getting up."

"So? He's probably leaving."

"Maybe…" Mojo tried to return to his meal but he continued to glance at the man again and again, noticing that he appeared to be fumbling around with something. Finally, Mojo turned his attention back to his meal and didn't spare the man another glance, though his suspicion still lingered. The man approached their table, an object secured in both hands. Before either Mojo or Blossom could shift their gaze in his direction, there was a bright flash and the man quickly took off.

"What just happened?!" asked Blossom as she blinked repeatedly, spots obstructing her vision.

"That fool had a camera!" Mojo yelled as he rubbed his eyes. "I'd go after that imbecile if I could actually see! He probably works for one of those magazines!"

"Did he follow us here?"

"I do not know. They probably have their cameras with them no matter where they go so they don't pass up an opportunity, if one should come along. Curse them," Mojo mumbled with disdain. His vision slowly returned to normal and he resumed eating his steak, devouring the meat rather aggressively.

"Don't worry about it," said Blossom, noticing Mojo's clear aggravation. The chimp only shook his head. Both of them knew that picture would come back and slap them in the face. They could only imagine the kind of hogwash that would come out of it, knowing the town's need for drama.

When the waitress returned sometime later, Mojo asked for the check. He pulled out his wallet and got the proper amount for the bill, placing it inside the checkbook. He noticed Blossom giving him a rather nasty look and sighed. "What?"

"Aren't you going to leave a tip?" the teen asked. Mojo snorted.

"Tip? They're lucky I'm even paying the bill." He chuckled again. "Tip…that's a good one."

"Mojo, leave a tip," Blossom ordered, crossing her arms. "It's always nice to leave a tip. How would you like it if you worked all day, cooking for people, and they didn't leave you a tip?"

Mojo gritted his teeth and opened his wallet, muttering random curses under his breath. "There!" he said, slapping a one dollar bill onto the table.

"Just one buck?"

"Hey, that's one dollar more than I usually leave!"

Blossom sighed, but left it alone. Once the waitress retrieved the payment, they got up and quickly made their way out of the restaurant. Once they were both outside, Mojo patted his pockets and groaned. "I left my wallet on the table." He turned and pointed a finger at Blossom. "Don't. Move." As he turned to go back inside, Blossom had a seat on the bench by the entrance to wait, vaguely wondering how late it was.

"Help me! Someone help me!" she heard a male voice yell from around the corner. Unable to ignore her instinct to help those in need, she jumped to her feet and ran around the corner of the restaurant, completely forgetting for just that short moment that she was without her powers. The moment she rounded the corner, she was roughly forced against the wall, her forehead banging against the bricks. "Thought you'd never come out of there," the man said into her ear. "I'm glad that monkey went back inside, otherwise I might not have gotten my chance."

"Wha…?" Blossom tried to turn her head around to get a look at the man's face. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice serious and threatening.

"Don't recognize me?" the man asked. Blossom craned her neck, trying to get a better look at him. Within seconds, her eyes widened. She instantly remembered her and her sisters busting him for armed robbery six years ago, and upon realizing this, her heart dropped into her stomach. Of all the days to be at the mercy of a convicted criminal, now was certainly not a good time.

"Get your hands off of me!" she yelled as she tried to wrench herself out of the man's grasp. He grinned when he noticed the girl's lack of super strength.

"So you _have _lost your powers. The word spread in prison. I was determined to get my hands on you once I was out. You're gonna regret sending me to that hellhole."

Biting her lip in fury, Blossom managed to wrench one arm free and rammed her elbow into the man's nose. She smirked when she thought she heard a crack, an indication of bones breaking. He pulled back with a loud yelp, but still held onto the teen's other arm. He wiped the blood from his nose and his scowl deepened. "Still the fighter, though, aren't ya? Damn, I think you broke it!"

"Good," Blossom responded venomously. Growling, the man roughly threw her to the ground. Before she could get up, the man gave a swift kick to her stomach, which easily knocked the wind out of her. He kicked her again before she could recover from the first blow and she cried out loudly. She curled up into a ball to protect herself, not knowing what else she could possibly do, but the man wasn't about to let up. He knelt down and forced her out of her fetal position before striking her across the face. She held her hands up in front of her face, but he still managed to find some other place to hit.

"You know, I think humiliating you would be even better," he said before tearing her blouse open.

"GET OFF!" she screamed as she swung her fist at the man's face with as much strength as she could muster. She managed to get a hit, but unfortunately, it just wasn't enough. The man grinned as he rubbed his chin.

"Not so tough now, are you, bitch?"

The man pulled a knife from his pocket, preparing to cut the teen's exposed bra loose, but before he could even flip it open, he felt something jump onto his back and yank painfully at his hair.

"What the fuck?!" he yelled as his head was yanked back farther and farther.

She felt ironic relief upon seeing the villain lunge onto the man's back, but it was quickly masked with concern for his own safety. "Mojo, be careful!" she yelled. "He's armed!"

"Oh, please," Mojo replied, rolling his eyes as he leapt off the man's back, still keeping a firm hold of his hair. The man fell backwards and Mojo seized the opportunity to give a karate chop to the man's stomach. Face twisted with pain, the man stumbled to his feet, still wielding the knife.

"You…bastard," he said through his pain as he flipped the knife open, revealing a six inch blade. Blossom's eyes widened at seeing this, but Mojo remained at ease. As the assailant came at him, Mojo side stepped him, grabbing his wrist and giving a karate chop to the bend of his arm, causing him to drop the knife. He then gave a swift kick to the man's stomach while he had the opportunity. He twisted the man's arm until he heard the successful snap of the bone, and then hurled him against the brick wall of the building. The man came to rest on the concrete below, groaning painfully.

Blossom knew Mojo had studied Martial Arts for years, as he had demonstrated much of what he knew to her and her sisters plenty of times in battle, but his efforts had been futile against them. But seeing him use his advanced fighting skills against another individual of normal strength and abilities, she could see that he truly kicked ass.

"I'll keep this as a souvenir," said Mojo smugly as he picked up the knife and pocketed it. He looked towards Blossom and frowned. "I leave for fifteen seconds and you let this pathetic excuse for a thug get a hold of you?"

Blossom narrowed her eyes, pulling her blouse closed. "He was calling for help! I thought it was a legitimate victim who needed my help! I was just answering the call of duty! I'm a superhero, remember?!"

Mojo snorted. "And I thought Bubbles was supposed to be the naïve one."

Blossom gritted her teeth but didn't speak another word. Tears of anger and humiliation filled her eyes and she quickly looked away, letting her hair fall around her face. Seeing this, Mojo's face softened a little. He sighed when he heard the teen begin to weep softly.

"Oh, cease your blubbering." He walked over and forced Blossom to look his way. Examining her face, he saw a gash on her forehead; blood was slowly tricking down her temple. "You aren't that hurt. Stand up." Mojo took Blossom's arm and helped her stand. The teen placed her hand over her wound.

"It hurts," she said.

"It is not that bad. That is to say the wound upon your head is hardly a cause of concern and should not warrant any complaints. A simple band-aid will fix it up. Now, let us hurry and depart before anything else happens."

Blossom turned and glared at the still unconscious man on the ground. "What about him? We can't let him run loose on the streets."

"I saw a police car parked down the street. We'll inform him of the incident…as much as I hate to be within ten feet of a cop."

Blossom only nodded.

0ooooooo0

It was almost nine o' clock by the time Mojo and Blossom walked through the front door of the observatory. Oddly, the teen found relief in the place she normally associated with turmoil and evil. She was just glad to be away from the public eye and out of danger.

"Go to your room. I'll be in there in a moment," said Mojo before disappearing to find a first-aid kit. Blossom slowly made her way to her room, her mental stress making her exhausted and eager for sleep. She first went to the dresser to get a new shirt out of the drawer to change into. Mojo entered her room moments later, lugging with him a very large first-aid kit. After opening it up, he fished out a cotton ball and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. "Hold still," he mumbled as he poured a bit of the liquid onto the cotton ball. Blossom winced as he dabbed the moist cotton ball over the cut on her forehead.

"It hurts," she repeated, biting her lip in pain.

"Quit being a baby."

"It hurts!" she said again anger in her tone.

"It is just a little scrape." Mojo shook his head as he continued to clean the wound. "I just should have left you here. I should not have even gone out myself. It was a foolish decision."

Blossom continued to wince as he dabbed the scrape with the cotton ball. She never knew how much being a normal girl sucked. Even the tiniest little scrape was excruciating. She suddenly thought back to all the times she and her sisters pummeled Mojo mercilessly and winced inwardly with guilt. If a tiny cut hurt as much as it did, she could only imagine the pain Mojo had been in, and every other villain they had faced. Sure, she knew it had to hurt, but now she realized just how easily people without her special abilities were susceptible to pain.

"Imagine the kind of agony I've had to put up with at the hands of you," said Mojo, as though he had been reading Blossom's thoughts.

"Well…it's not like you didn't ask for it," the teen replied, still feeling the need to defend herself, although she felt guilty.

"Regardless, you tend to take your beatings a little too far."

Mojo grabbed the box of band-aids out of the first-aid kit. He found one of appropriate size and placed it over the scrape.

"I think there's another one on my arm. It hurts there, too." Blossom turned her arm slightly, exposing a much larger scrape just below her elbow. Even though it was larger, it wasn't quite as deep and so blood wasn't a real issue. Mojo didn't say a word as he got a clean cotton ball and repeated the process.

"I guess I should thank you again."

"Whatever."

"Seriously. He could have killed me if he had a mind to…and I think he did, honestly. That's twice now that you've saved me."

"Do not remind me. This should be a lesson to you. You take your powers for granted, but there is no guarantee they will always be there, which is why it wouldn't hurt for _you _to study Martial Arts, just as I have."

"You mean you _want _me to be able to defend myself without my powers? Even if _you _were my opponent?"

"No! I just…never mind."

Blossom stifled a laugh. It was just too easy to use his logic against him.

More and more cuts kept popping up, much to Mojo's annoyance. Blossom almost offered to take care of the remaining cuts herself, but she didn't want to lose Mojo's company. She was still a bit shaken up from the ordeal. But eventually he was going to run out of cuts. She had to think of something to keep him around. Anything.

"I know this may seem like a random question, but…about a year ago you mentioned to me about having lost someone close to you. You never told me who that was."

Mojo was in the process of closing up the first-aid kit, but as soon as the words left Blossom's lips, he froze. He slowly looked at her, clearly not amused by the topic choice. Now Blossom wished she had just kept her mouth shut, but it was the first thing that popped into her head. It was something she had always wondered about on occasion, and now she just wanted to know the truth.

"I should have known you'd bring it up again at some point," Mojo said coldly.

"Knowing something is my nature. I crave knowledge, whether it'll benefit me or not. And when there's something there that I can't figure out, it drives me crazy."

"It is none of your damn business!"

"It might be better if you told someone," Blossom pressed, but with compassion in her voice.

"And why _you _of all people?"

"Because I'm listening."

Mojo finally crumbled. "Fine! You want to know? My mother! There! Now you can celebrate! I'm certain now you will be able to sleep tonight knowing you managed to get me to relive the worst memory of my life! Shall I get you a cake to celebrate?!"

"How?" Blossom asked quietly after taking a moment to digest Mojo's words. She desperately hoped to hear him say, "Leopard" or that she died of an illness, or any kind of natural cause of death, but his answer was what she expected and feared:

"Poachers."

And then everything made sense.

She didn't know what to say. How was she supposed to respond? Even something as simple as "I'm sorry" just didn't sound right to her. She had just discovered something new about her worst enemy beyond anything she had ever known before. It wasn't as though she had just discovered what his favorite book was. It was an important part of his history and the most likely root to his villainy. But now she was just as desperate to forget that knowledge as she was to gain it.

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" she asked gently. She knew she was walking on egg shells now. If she said the wrong thing, she didn't know _what _Mojo might do.

"Because it is a part of my life I do not wish emphasized. It is a personal matter, which is clearly too hard for you to grasp."

"But it's why you hate mankind so much, isn't it?"

Mojo didn't answer, but he didn't need to. His silence was more of an answer than she could ask for.

"Mojo…I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I can't even imagine what you've suffered. But what you do is no better than what they did. All you've done is become what you hate."

Mojo chuckled at hearing this response. "Yeah…I saw that one coming from a mile away."

"So you're okay with that, then? You're okay with being no better than the people who killed-"

"SHUT UP!"

Blossom quickly shut her trap and lowered her gaze, afraid to make eye contact with the villain now. _Careful _she told herself. _Watch what you say. Don't get him upset._

"I…you…you just don't-"

"Understand?" Blossom finished for him. "No, I guess I really don't understand fully. Your villainy is certainly more clear now than it has ever been, but that still doesn't make it right."

"Easy for you to say. I'm certain you wouldn't be preaching justice if someone murdered the Professor."

"No, I can't say for certain that I would. But that's just it. You're not taking your anger out on those who wronged you. And that's not to say that getting revenge on those who are guilty is justifiable, but I can sympathize with those who seek revenge against those who have wronged them. I mean…take me for example. I've felt nothing but hate for the man that killed that family, even though it wasn't even my family. I understand wanting vengeance. But the whole world hasn't wronged you_, _Mojo."

"It is not like the people in this city are one hundred percent innocent. They all treated me like garbage long before I ever did wrong by them. As far as I'm concerned, mankind is cruel, one way or another."

"So show them you're better than they are by _not _stooping to their level."

As much as he wanted to protest her words, his argument had hit a dead end. He couldn't back up his reasons any further, but he certainly wasn't about to give in and say, "Okay, I'll be good now." He still felt his actions were just.

Mojo stiffened when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. "W-What are you doing?"

"Hugging you, of course. What does it look like?" Blossom replied as she pulled Mojo closer. "You've needed one for a long time."

It took a few moments, but eventually Mojo sighed and relaxed a little. He didn't return the hug, but Blossom didn't expect him to. The fact that he didn't push her away was just as astonishing. "You and I aren't that different, you know," the redhead said as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"We couldn't be more different," Mojo mumbled. Blossom finally pulled back, keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"No, we really aren't. We have one major difference, but there's so much more that we have in common. You and I…well…we're like two sides of the same coin."

Mojo rolled his eyes.

"No, really. We have our intellect, we strive for perfection, we try to be the best at everything we do…and we're both strong-willed."

"And it's those very similarities that make you and I a dangerous combination."

Blossom smiled. "Maybe, but at least we can relate to each other, right?"

Mojo said nothing.

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I kind of threw in some of TtEoaO. Mainly because I thought it would be a good setup for some Mojo/Blossom bonding! 3

I sort of feel like a hypocrite now XD In my last parody fic, I kind of bash the 'damsel in distress' stories and in this chapter I do the exact same thing lol. Oh well, at least Blossom didn't have her powers, which is really my only beef with stories like that. I just don't like it when the Girls have their powers and yet some random guy still gets the uppers hand on them.

Wow, this was the longest chapter yet! I apologize for taking a while to get this chapter out. I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I first started this story. It has certainly come a long way. I certainly wasn't expecting it to reach past 100 reviews but it did! I'm amazed. I'll probably faint if it gets 200 reviews. That certainly won't be an easy accomplishment for a story that isn't RRB/PPG.


	14. Baby Steps

_Chapter XIV_  
**Baby Steps**

There was a quick squeak of a magic marker as it was forced to make a mark against the stone wall of the prison cell. Its owner smirked as he sealed the cap on the utensil. On the wall were hundreds of tallies, something that wasn't at all uncommon to find in each cell.

"Not long now," the man said as he went to reside on his cot. "I'm not going down that easily," he said. He lifted up one leg and crossed it over the other. "Two more days, and the fun begins."

0ooooooo0

Mojo's silence over the last few days had been troubling to Blossom and mainly because she knew that she was the reason for it. Her only defense for her conscience was that Mojo_ needed _to get it out of his system. He needed to tell _somebody. _Blossom had always believed that sharing one's pain was the first step to healing, but now she was beginning to rethink that logic. Now Mojo wouldn't even look at her, nor would he respond every time she greeted him. It was becoming heart-wrenching.

It had already been three days. Surely he couldn't keep up this silent treatment forever, could he? Well, this _was _Mojo. Stubbornness was his greatest defense, after all. But he wasn't the only one who could be stubborn.

Blossom waited patiently in her room, a book laid against her legs, which were pulled up close to her chest. She had already read the thing a dozen times, but she needed something to entertain herself while she waited for Mojo to bring her her next meal. The hours crept along agonizingly slowly, and Blossom was at the point where she thought she would fall over from boredom, but she instantly became alert and focused when she heard the knob jiggle as Mojo unlocked the door to enter.

"Thanks for knocking," said the Puff sarcastically. "I could have been naked, you know."

Mojo shrugged. "I am certain you had nothing to show."

What an ass. Oh well, at least he was speaking to her.

The chimp set Blossom's meal down on the desk and quickly turned to leave. The teen knew that as soon as he walked out that door she probably wouldn't see him again for another twelve hours.

"Mojo, will you just stop it already?!"

The villain came to a halt, his hand resting on the doorknob. He made no response, but Blossom could practically see his lips mouthing silent curses and insults.

"I'm sick of this, okay? I'm sick of you not talking, I'm sick of you not even looking at me, or acknowledging me when I talk to you! I'm sorry, okay? I just thought if you told someone, you'd feel better."

Mojo snorted in disgust, though he took a moment to note the irony of the Puff's words, remembering when _he _had been the one trying to coax her out of her silence, and he was still kicking himself over that. "That is a bunch of nonsense. How does reliving every last detail of one's traumatic ordeal possibly make one feel better?" Mojo finally turned to face the teen. "You just can't understand. There are some things that cannot be forgotten, things that cannot be healed, or forgiven!"

"How do you think I felt? You fooled me into thinking you actually cared about me. I put all my trust into you and you threw it in my face. You broke my heart…but I can honestly say that I forgive _you_ now."

Mojo looked more disgusted now than ever.

"And why is that? Is it because you pity me now? Is that it?!"

"Mojo-"

"Just shut up! I am through listening to you!"

Mojo gave the teen no time for a response. The familiar sound of the door slamming followed his final words, leaving Blossom alone once more to process her thoughts. She stared sadly at the plate of food that sat a few feet away on the desk, knowing full well that her appetite had left her. She abruptly turned and threw her face into her pillow, the fabric becoming stained with the continuing flow of tears within an instant. Her entire body shook with loud, violent sobs, though they were easily muffled against the pillow.

It was more than she could bear. Mojo had suffered alone for so many years. All of the destruction and violence was all an extension of his fury and pain. It had become a drug for him, a dangerous drug that did more harm than relieve the pain. If only she had known. She could have turned his life around a long time ago, but she had always seen the world as being black and white. Her obsession with thwarting evil and protecting those who fell victim to it prevented her from seeing the gray.

But she couldn't blame herself. After all, Mojo had never been open about his past to anyone until now. But his destruction and mayhem was proof enough that he wasn't suffering in silence. She should have reached out to him a long time ago, but his betrayal prevented that. She could never get past that fact that he had used her for his own gain, and then tossed her aside once she was no longer of any use to him. Her entire life she had regarded his betrayal as that of evil and wickedness and nothing more, but it was clear to her now that her own suffering and broken heart simply stemmed from Mojo's anguish. But it was never too late. Maybe she just had to keep reaching out to him, no matter how many times he turned her down. Obviously things were going to be rocky for right now, but the fact that she had managed to get Mojo to be open with her about something he had never breathed a word of to anyone else his entire life could easily be compared to making a leap over the Grand Canyon. From there on out, it was just baby steps.

Blossom rolled over onto her back and wiped her eyes. _Just baby steps _she told herself.

0ooooooo0

Mojo's face became illuminated as the lights to his lab flickered on. Eyes narrowed, he scanned every square foot of his work station. Robots, lasers and other inventions of the past were scattered all around. It was a gallery of sorts. All the gadgets had seen a battle at least once, though they had all failed each time. Some of the devices he managed to restore, while others he left to collect dust.

The chimp came to stand in the center of the room. "What does she possibly know?" he growled, staring at his Robo Jojo with malice. "Nothing!" he yelled, looking now to one of his ray guns. "She knows _nothing!_" He stormed over to the north side of the lab, finding the storage cubbies which housed dozens of blue prints. Most of them had been stored away on a temporary hiatus. He randomly grabbed one of the rolled up blue prints and threw it down onto his desk, quickly rolling it open to see its progress. "But she thinks she knows everything."

Mojo stared down at the blue paper with growing anger. He grabbed a well-used pencil, every inch of which was covered in teeth marks. "I will show her," he said through gritted teeth. He touched the tip of the unsharpened pencil to the paper, waiting for the inspiration to come as it had so many times in the past, but the utensil didn't produce so much as a scribble. He didn't let it hinder his determination, however. We waited patiently, searching his oversized brain for that one spark of creativity, but the minutes continued to tick by and the pencil remained motionless.

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like drops of water pitter pattering onto the paper. Looking down, Mojo noticed several dark spots dotting the blueprint. His vision became distorted and he heard the soft pitter pattering sound again, and it was then that he realized that they were tears. Shocked and disgusted with himself, his hands flew to his eyes and he rubbed at his eyes furiously.

"You weak-minded fool," he said to himself, still wiping his eyes. As the tears continued to flow, Mojo gave up on trying to keep them at bay. In a fit of rage, he grasped the blueprint in both hands and tore it to shreds.

Letting out a shaky breath, Mojo placed his arms atop his work table and buried his face in them, giving up the fight and allowing himself to cry freely.

0ooooooo0

Blossom rolled over and looked at the clock in annoyance. She couldn't have had no more than a few hours of sleep, and it was already eight o' clock in the morning. There was no point in her going back to sleep, as she knew Mojo was going to be coming in any second now, which she was dreading. His last visit left no room for doubt that he was distraught and didn't want to be within so much as ten feet of her, but Blossom still held firm to the belief that it was for the best. This was all just a healthy process of emotions, and best of all, Townsville wasn't paying the price this time. The way she saw it, Mojo had simply been walking down a darkened path all his life, and now someone was shining a bright light in his face. It would be agitating and confusing at first, but soon his eyes would adjust, and maybe then he would be able to see a much better path. Of course if she outright said that to him, she knew she'd be picking up her teeth from the floor.

But then what if it backfired? What if all this just made him more infuriated and hell-bent on destruction? Considering how emotionally unstable Mojo was, it didn't sound so farfetched. The thought made the teen's heart fall into the pit of her stomach. Should she just back off? Forget everything that had been said and move on?

The door suddenly opened, bringing the teen out of her thoughts. As Mojo silently entered the room, Blossom lifted her eyes but did not lift her head. Though her bangs mostly shielded her eyes, Mojo knew she was looking his way, though he said nothing. However, the look he sent her way clearly said, "I'm ignoring you." Giving it one last thought, she knew she couldn't back out now.

"Mojo, listen…"

Oh, if looks could kill.

The redhead ignored the chimp's murderous glare and went on, "I know you don't want to hear anything I have to say, but-"

"Then that should be a fairly good indication for you to shut up," Mojo interrupted. "That is to say remain silent, mute, aphonic; do not move your lips at all in a way that produces your insufferable mutterings that I do not wish to hear!"

Blossom clutched her comforter tightly as the wave of frustration passed.

"I'm just trying to help you."

"Right, because that is your duty," Mojo scoffed, leaning back against the desk.

"I'm not trying to help you because I feel I _have _to. I _want _to help you. Is that really so hard for you to understand?"

Silence.

Blossom took a deep breath. "I want to know…do you think about your mother often?"

Mojo debated with himself on whether to just walk out that door or kill the Puff. But somehow he felt that if he walked out that door, he would be deeming himself a coward, which would only give more credibility to Blossom's words.

"Every day," he answered through clenched teeth.

Blossom looked a bit surprised at having received an honest answer. "And…do you think she would approve of what you're doing?"

Blossom saw Mojo's hand grip the back of the chair that sat just a foot off to the left of him. She held her breath as she waited for him to fling it at her, ready to throw herself out of the way if he moved even the slightest bit. She knew the question was close to crossing the line, or it may have already been crossing the line, but she had come this far.

"Mojo, didn't you ever once stop and ask yourself if maybe things _do _happen for a reason?" she asked, trying a different approach. She leaned back in fear as Mojo swiftly marched over to her and leaned in dangerously close, teeth bared and eyes narrowed.

"Are you trying to suggest to me that my mother's death was justifiable?!" he shouted.

"N-No, Mojo!" Blossom stuttered, leaning back as far as she could. "What happened to your mother was deplorable and nothing could possibly justify it. But at the same time, you have to look at what you gained: you have vast knowledge, you have independence…you're no longer under the thumb of man." The teen sighed. "Look…I don't really know how to say it in a way that doesn't make it sound like I'm excusing your mother's death, I'm just trying to get you to see that what you have really _is _a gift."

Mojo drew away from her, turning his back to her sharply. "Every day is Christmas," he replied sarcastically, his tone bitter.

Blossom buried her face in her hands. "God, Mojo, how can I get you to understand? Do you not seewhat you can do with the knowledge you have? All you've done is taken that knowledge and used it to extend your anger to the entire world through destruction and pain. I know you've suffered, but there are creatures of all kinds that suffer just like you did every day at the hands of man and will _continue_ to suffer, and what you're doing _doesn't _help them! It doesn't help them, it doesn't help you, it doesn't help _anyone!_ If you want things to change, you're going to have to change first, Mojo."

Blossom took a moment of pause, allowing her nemesis time to respond if he wished, but when he remained silent, she went on:

"Just think of what you could do. You could take your knowledge and use it to better the lives of your own species _and _others. They don't have a voice; you _do._ You're exactly what they needed all these years, and not just them but humans, too."

Mojo snorted as he went to stand in front of the window, arms secured behind his back as they usually were whenever he was deep in though. "You make it sound like I am the Chosen One, or something of that creed."

Blossom smiled softly as she glanced downward. "Yeah…I guess I am." Eventually, she looked back over at the chimp, feeling surprisingly lightheaded as he continued to stare out the window in silence. The more she observed him, the more she felt she had gotten through to him, or at the very least left a huge crack in the ice. She didn't know how much longer she had to keep chipping away, but she felt like she was close to the other side now.

"I think it would be a great honor to your mother's memory," she added a bit nervously. She wasn't surprised to see the chimp stiffen at the mention of his mother, but he did not shout at her for it.

"I've heard enough," he said curtly as he turned and made his way for the door. His quick exit and lack of response wasn't a shock, nor was it in any way troubling to the teen. The fact that he had heard everything that needed to be said was what was important. Now it was up to him.

0ooooooo0

Mark lifted his gaze as the sound of numerous footsteps approached his cell. It was not a foreign sound, but this time they had a chilling, foreboding echo. They grew louder, all of them out of rhythm, which made it easier for him to distinguish that there were at least three men. Finally, he smirked.

"Show time."

The men approached the cell door, keys jingling as one of them moved to unlock it.

0ooooooo0

Blossom's eyes fluttered open only to be greeted by darkness, save for the little bit of light from the nearby city that flowed in through the window. She sat up slowly and ceased her breathing for just a moment so she could catch whatever sounds were coming from the other side of the door; she could have sworn she heard something fall over. She looked towards her clock and noticed it was after eleven. She never recalled Mojo being up this late very often.

Throwing her covers aside, she stood up and quietly made her way towards the door. She listened for Mojo's voice, knowing that he often talked to himself, no matter what he was doing. Perhaps he was having trouble sleeping and decided to get up for a late night snack, but she could hear the person's footsteps on the other side of the door, and they were very slow and quiet as the person walked. Blossom didn't think Mojo cared about her getting a good night's rest that much that he'd be quiet while he was up. But suddenly she heard another pair of quick, heavy footsteps, and she knew instantly that they belonged to Mojo.

"Who's there?" she heard him demand and instantly she knew something wasn't right. She got down on the floor and tried to peek through the tiny gap under the door, but the lack of light made it impossible for her to tell what was going on.

The next sound she heard was loud grunting and what sounded like wrestling. Mojo's voice was evident but she could also pick up the sound of someone else grunting. The sound of furniture being knocked over and glass breaking made her heart skip a beat.

"Get out!" she heard Mojo yell, pursued by the sound of more glass breaking. Blossom suddenly felt her heart leap into her throat.

"Mojo!" she screamed, jumping to her feet and banging on the door. "What's going on out there?! Mojo! MOJO ANSWER ME!" she screamed louder, wincing as her throat began protesting her high pitched vocalizations. "Mojo, what's happening?! What's going on?!"

There was no answer except for what sounded like more wrestling and yelling. It sounded as though they were tearing the entire observatory apart, judging by how much stuff could be heard being knocked over through their rough exertions. "Mojo, who's there?!"

The sound of a gunshot made Blossom's blood run cold, and even more so when she was certain she heard a body hit the floor with a loud thud. Panicked, she grabbed the doorknob and started pulling as hard as she could, despite knowing that the door was locked. "Mojo!" she screamed, banging and kicking on the door. She leaned her head against the door, helplessness overtaking her. She could no longer hear the sound of destruction or yelling, which now she realized was a more comforting sound than a gunshot pursued by silence. But as she listened more closely and held her breath again, she could hear footsteps approaching her door.

_Oh God, please be Mojo_ she thought as she began to slowly back away from the door, ignoring the irony of that thought. She saw the doorknob jiggle a bit, and then the sound of the lock being turned could just barely be heard. The door slowly opened and Blossom could faintly make out the outline of a tall man standing in the doorway. When she saw the gun in his hand she could feel herself growing weak.

"So you _are _here," the man stated with amusement, taking a couple of steps into the room. Blossom thought she felt her heart drop when she recognized the voice.

"M-Mark?" she stuttered, taking a few more steps back.

"You remember me, huh?" he replied, amusement in his voice.

"How can I forget someone like you?" Blossom spat, continuing to match a step backwards for every step he took forward.

"So…shacking up with the monkey now? I thought you hated him?"

Blossom mentally cursed as she felt her back suddenly press up against the wall. "Why are you here? How did you escape?"

Mark shrugged, twirling the gun in his hand. "It was easy. Tonight I was scheduled to be executed. As soon as they came in to get me, I grabbed this here gun out of one of the officer's holsters and just shot my way out. It was pretty easy. I guess it helps that Townsville is overrun by idiots."

Blossom shuddered at the lack of emotion in the man's voice.

"Where's Mojo?" she asked softly, though she already knew the horrible answer to that. The man just grinned as he continued to twirl 'his' gun.

"I always hated that blabbering monkey. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't see his face plastered all over the papers or heard his name mentioned on TV."

The man suddenly took another step towards Blossom, who now had nowhere else to go. "Aren't you going to come at me? Hit me, maybe? Or how about kill me? That's what's you want to do, isn't it?"

"I'm not like you," Blossom hissed through clenched teeth. Mark raised both brows.

"Oh really? You know, I remember hearing about you beating up that stupid monkey after you had thought him to be the killer. They said you would have killed him had they not pulled you off him. Not like me, hmm?"

Blossom looked towards the floor momentarily with shame. She shook with anger, wishing she still possessed her powers. "Shut up!" she screamed.

"Well…come on, then. Come at me."

"Get. Out."

"Come on. You said yourself how much you wanted to see me dead."

"GET OUT!"

"What's the matter? Need a little persuasion? Alright then."

Mark suddenly raised the gun, causing the teen's eyes to widen. Paralyzed with fear, she remained where she stood, her blood running cold as Mark squeezed the trigger.

There was a scream, followed by the thunderous sound of a firing gun.

And then there was silence.

TBC…

* * *

**Author's Note: **To all those who say Mojo/Blossom is less likely to happen than Brick/Blossom simply because Mojo isn't human, consider this chapter a big middle finger to you all :D

I feel kind of lousy for writing such a terrible character like Mark. I admit, he was just a cardboard cut-out villain used as a plot device to bring Mojo and Blossom together and sort of make Blossom see that there are people far worse out there. I know I shouldn't have done that. But…I guess it's better that I used an OC rather than a canon character. I've seen a lot of people completely trash canon characters and turn them into the bad guys in order to make their pairing work. But I still feel really shitty for doing it. But I really didn't know how I could have fleshed him out without making the story about _him. _I honestly just didn't care about him -_-; Please forgive me, guys. I know this is a big no no.

Wow, 122 reviews! I'm amazed. Please keep them coming!


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